Midnight In Sunnydale: A BTVS & Sonja Blue Tale
by Dr Gonzo
Summary: Buffy Summers is no longer the most dangerous thing in Sunnydale and neither is the dangerously lethal vampire she must ally with if she wants to stop a sadistic mage from unleashing hell.
1. Bronze Bombshell

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Midnight in Sunnydale

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Sonja Blue Crossover

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Copyright holders, including Nancy Collins, Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, wholly own the characters appearing here. Their appearance does not constitute infringement on that copyright

This is set at the beginning of Season 5 just after Buffy vs. Dracula. For those who know the Sonja Blue Books, this takes place shortly before the book In the Blood

I am working. I tracked the trio here to this place called the Bronze. The Other is happy here. She just loves all the fresh meat on display. I scan the crowd and see the signs of my kind, Pretenders. A group of werewolves in the corner hustle girls who have the taint of out-of-town on them. A drunken frat boy near the bar is making the pitch to a succubus disguised as a cute girl. They are all there: Incubi, skin dancers, an ogre bodyguard watching the door to a more exclusive part of the club. It dawns on me again, as it has once or twice since I arrived in town; Sunnydale is very open about its Pretenders.

Some humans are checking me out. I know what they see: a young twenty-five year old with a wild cuckoo's nest hairstyle, faded jeans, a Ramones T-shirt and a beaten looking leather jacket. That ensemble is more then enough to discourage the jocks that fill this California town. For the few that still don't get the hint there is a low-level psychic emanation that I give off that scares people or pisses them off. For the latter group, I keep a switchblade. I have a space at the crowded bar to myself. It's just as well that I discourage the wild life. The average age in the room is mid twenties, chronologically speaking; I'm easily twice that.

I spot the vamps as they target their prey. The boy is young; he has vamp bait written all over him I am surprised that he has managed to get this far. This kid is going to end up married to some bitchy man-eater who will cheat on him and separate him from half his income…assuming he survives the night. The band of three starts buying him drinks and promising him drugs. He is the lonely type. A person being nice to him is unheard of. He drinks the drinks and seems delighted at the thought of more fun to follow. They start herding the boy to the exit. I decide to meet them round the other side. As I expected, they chose to use the alleyway in the rear. They are working themselves into a killing frenzy. They will all attack at once. The boy is too drunk to grasp that he should be doing the better part of fight or flight. I step from the shadows to where they can see me. They are unimpressed. Than again, unless I am dealing with Nobles, most vampires never are.

One of them startles and hisses "The Slayer. The older one settles him down "She's no slayer, are you little girl?" He moves slowly toward me "Are you some kind of judo expert little girl is that why you think you can take all three of us on" When he is close he gets a good sniff of me. A friend told me I smell of death. That friend betrayed me; I ended up having to kill him so it might be true. The vampire stops and starts to panic. I on the other hand am totally relaxed. The young one rushes me. I can still smell the grave dirt on him. Newly raised, too stupid to know better, I would never attack something deadlier then me.

The young one throws a solid punch at me. I decide to cut him some slack. I grab his arm and break it in only two places. He screams and falls to the ground. The old one is backing away when his other companion unleashes a flying kick in my direction. I decide it's time to use the switchblade. The blade is razor sharp an etched in silver. One quick strike and vampire thug is lying on the ground moaning. I have cut his hamstrings. The old one is circling, He is scared. I can smell his fear; The Other loves it and wants to play with him. He has circled to the mouth of the alley. He turns and starts to run. I reverse my grip on the knife. It is perfectly balanced. I throw hard, the blade lodges in his back. It has pierced his heart. He explodes into dust. I walk over to the pile of dust and retrieve my switchblade. At that point, the one I hamstrung gets off the ground and tries to get away. I slip in behind him and slip the blade in just between the third and fourth rib. The vampire is dead. That leaves me with one playmate left. The young one is crawling away on the ground I slowly walk toward him.

"Ok Sweet Meat, I have questions; you have answers. You answer quickly, you die quickly or not at all, you stall on me and you die very slowly". I straddle him and hold him down. The knife is poking into his windpipe. I have his attention. "I am looking for a vampire he would have just hit town."

"Rafe said he was bad news and that I should stay away from him"

"But, you know where I can find this Vampire, Yes?"

"NO"

I am disappointed; I express my disappointment by cutting off one of his eyelids. It serves a purpose. It makes me feel better and it jogs his memory.

"He took a call"

"Good Boy" I patronize "What was the substance of this call"

"I don't know- all I know was that he said that Spike might know about the knife."

"What knife? And who is Spike?"

"I don't know Rafe said that the knife was one of those things that Spike and his girlfriend were always trying to get their hands on."

"Where is Spike"

He tells me were I can find the unknown Spike. I ask him some more questions and he doesn't know much A round about this time the vamp bait come around and realizes this is not the scene he wants to be in. He runs. It's just the young vampire and me. He is begging me for his life. The Other is begging me for a chance to play. I figure that if I give in and let her have her fun now she will leave me alone later. It takes him a long time to die. The Other likes her men to have stamina. I don't ask her what she does, but the images leave her satisfied for hours.

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From the diaries of Sonja Blue


	2. Giles' Tale

***

In the five years I have served as Buffy Summers' Watcher, I have seen strange sights that all my training had never prepared me for. Demon hoards, Vampire Lords, most recently The Blood Count himself, Dracula. Hence, My Lack of surprise at what takes place in Sunnydale.

"Giles, Help me talk Spike out of leaving"

All right, I will admit some things have come up that still knock the wind out of me but that good old British reserve is a lifesaver in such situations. Westerners see me taking off my glasses and polishing them carefully, in fact I was dismissing the urge to rejoice at the end of our acquaintance with William the bloody-awful human being.

"Look, Blondie I am not in the bloody Red Cross." The peroxide haired vampire mutters "There are things coming that even I don't feel like messing with and I am leaving it's that simple"

"I have to admit it seems surprising that you would forgo the advantage of being able to sponge of our good graces"

I was being sarcastic, but as usual, British sarcasm flies right over the head of most Westerners. Spike fixed me with a look and I caught the flash of anger that would normally be a death sentence if I were not standing beside the most deadly Slayer in history.

"Well if Basil Exposition is finished having one on at my expanse." The Blonde Vamp hisses. Buffy Giggles. Score another one for the Johnny Rotten wannabe.

"Guys come on, Buffy soothes "Giles you know I always saw you as a John Steed type of guy."

"What a coincidence…" Spike shot in "You picture him as John Steed and I have pictured you wearing Emma Peelers"

Buffy is far too busy giving Spike a dirty look to notice me polishing my glasses again. I have had that thought far too frequently myself…especially since that wretched movie came out.

"Spike if your not going to be helpful…"

"Hello, I just got done telling you I wanted to leave town"

"Not before you tell me why every vamp in Sunnydale has been either laying low or going hog wild with the menacing humans thing"

I know Spike will not talk unless he is paid, forced, or shamed into it. I chose to go for Option #3.

"Buffy don't embarrass the man further it's obvious he is completely out of the loop. I mean, when he arrived in town he was "The Big Bad" and everyone answered to him but that was along time ago."

"I know what you're trying to do Mr. Tweed, You can't hurt my ego"

"Yes, How silly of me to forget, You have to have dignity in order to have an ego to bruise."

I think he actually thinks of reaching for me at that point, but Buffy noisily clears her throat and Spike remembers who he is in the room with. He closes his eyes, and collects himself.

Buffy then shoots me a look which I conveniently miss…darn those smudged glasses of mine. She steps closer to Spike and lays a hand gently on his arm. For some reason, this seems to disturb him, not that he moves out of her reach though, he just stares at the hand for a moment.

"Look Spike, I just want to know what we are up against" she tells him softly. "I don't care how involved you used to be with whatever is coming just as long as you're not involved now"

"Look back when Dru first came to Sunnydale, she wanted to lay her hands on a trinket called The Ashanti Blade."

The name sounded familiar but I wanted to be sure. To use the American slang this town is lousy with ancient ceremonial daggers, medals, and baubles. I sometimes wonder if the real problem this town has is the high incidence of magical rubbish that winds up here.

"What do you mean" I ask "What blade?"

"The Wicca Twins would know more about this" Spike said carefully "It's a specially crafted blade made from ruby volcanic glass. It's been ensorcelled so that the blade can be used for necromantic blood rites"

"What would you use it for" Buffy asked

"Well Drusillia wanted it for some ceremony She wanted to perform. When we got here that doll of hers told her the sky wasn't the right shade of blue or some such and that put the kibosh on that plan."

"Spike are you saying Dru avoided using a powerful magical artifact because her dolls told it was bad," I ask incredulously.

"You would be surprised how many of the more lethal plans Angel, Dru and I inflicted on you were actually hatched by Ms. Elli."

"Considering how many of them blow up in your faces…" Buffy snickered

"… And how many plans Ms. Elli vetoed including one of my favorites turning Joyce into a Vampire" Spike paused as we let that thought sink in.

"If you had touched my mother…" Said Buffy, as a touch of the killer she really was slipped into her cold voice.

"The vampire you would have been trying to kill would have been Angelus, it was his plan, I just said I would have gone along with it"

Fate stepped at that point to defuse a tense moment by giving us a knock at the door. I was praying it was Willow, Tara, or even Xander. Sometimes you don't get what you want; you get what you need. The weasel-like person was not a member of the so-called Scooby Gang.

"There you are" screamed Mr. Weasel as he came through the door "Hell is breaking loose and I find you making time with the slayer"

"TS mate" Spike shot back impassively "It's every man for themselves"

"Do you know who is tearing up the town trying to find your little friend"

"Should I care?" Shot Buffy grabbing the man who was reaching for Spike.

"You should, since she's already tore up a bar looking for him I am willing to bet that someone will tell her that you guys hang with him."

"You can't tell her if you can't talk" Buffy said dangerously

"Oh… is the this the moment that I quiver in fear at the threat from the Slayer? I only ask since you seem to be unaware that there are things more frightening then you in this town"

"That may be true but they aren't in this room, right now." She emphasized her point by twisting his am behind his back. There was an audible groan, not from the weasel but from his arm. The weasel screamed

"Buffy please, there's no need for that" My words are half hearted. I have rarely seen Buffy like this. "He isn't the enemy"

"If he is getting in the way of me saving lives then he is dog meat" I know Buffy by now, she is thinking with her heart.

"He's scared Buffy "Spike is speaking quietly "He's scared because there is some bad shit coming that is a little beyond the usual."

"What is coming? Who is in town, and looking for you? What does it have to do with this knife of yours?"

"It's the Blue Woman … she's the one looking for me and if you know anything about her you know if she is in Sunnydale the death toll will soar to massive proportions"

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The Watcher Chronicles (Rupert Giles, Recording)


	3. The New Big Bad

***

The Scooby Gang convened at Giles' house twenty minutes later. The possibility of the world ending did not worry them much; they had saved the world before and would save it again. Spike getting all prophet of doom-y though, that was strange and as Xander pointed out. "Any woman who can reduce The Big Bad to a Pile of angst-ridden Jell-O has to be something special."

Willow and Tara poured over all the books they could scrap together. So far, information on the Ashanti was proving to be elusive. The explanation, according to Spike, was the knife had gone through several name changes over the centuries since its creation.

The one thing that Willow found out quickly though is that, the knife killed any mortal who used it. Trapping their souls within the crystal lattice of the blade and increasing the blade's power. Spike was on shaky ground on much of Ashanti lore but for this, he had an explanation.

"The knife was crafted by a demon mage, least that was the story I beat out of the guy I stole it from" He explained to Giles 

"That's true" Willow spoke up from where she and Tara were going over old tomes. "The demon used his own energy to power the daggers magic. Apparently Humans are usually used to power the thing then a sufficiently powerful mage uses the blade to do, well, anything they want."

"Of course…"Continued Tara " if you do the spell wrong or screw it up somehow your soul would end up trapped inside the blade along with your victims."

"Of course, Giles announced "Such mages are rare, due to its semi demonic state. The Ashanti blade would be the perfect means to work magic on the Hellmouth." Giles grabbed one of The Watcher Chronicles "That should narrow down the list of suspects, there are only a hand full of mages powerful enough to use the blade Let alone try using it this close to the Hellmouth."

Buffy and Xander walked into the room. "Well Mr. Weasel is all locked down, he won't be telling anything to anybody for a while." Xander tossed his lanky form into a chair ignoring Giles' dark look.

"You know for a guy with enough brass to run a bar for demons and monsters you would think he would have a higher pain threshold."

"Where is he? "Giles asked?

"We left him tied up at Spike's"

"Great…" The vampire cursed "Just what the place needed a bleeding stool pigeon stinking up the joint"

Buffy took over the discussion. "Do we know yet what this Blue Woman wants with this blade thing"

"I've got a big fat zero, nothing in the Watcher Chronicles even says that she can do major mojo." Willow collapsed in frustration back n the couch.

"She might be looking for the person or persons who are trying to find and use the knife." Giles volunteered.

"That might explain why she wants to play catch the stake with Spike." Xander smiled evilly in the direction of Spike.

"Sod off Harris…you've got no idea how hardcore this bitch really is." Spike sneered. There was little love or respect between these two. He looked at the roomful of eyes on him and made a decision. "She might think that I can lead her to Morgan"

Willow was the first to speak "You met Morgane"

"No…Not The Fey, nobody's seen her in decades, and I would just as soon not see her again. I am talking about Lord Morgan"

A room full of blank looks stared back at him. He turned to Giles exasperated. "Don't tell me these people don't know about the clan conflicts"

Giles felt a room full of eyes swivel to look at him. "In my defense, this is America, inter-clan warfare means nothing here."

"On behalf of the people in this room born after 1970…" shot Xander "what the hell are you two talking about"

"Morgan is a vampire, a rather powerful one, if it comes to that, Word is Sonja Blue has a real Jones for killing him."

"So she kills vampires, why should I be concerned," Buffy said in a dismissive voice

"Buffy, Sonja Blue may prefer killing vampires but she has no problem killing normal people who get in the crossfire between her and her vengeance." Giles produced a sheaf of papers. "These were faxed to me by … an old friend"

Buffy took the faxed sheets and glanced through the pictures. They showed a downtown bar. The young people in the pictures wore gang colours. They all had blue hair, thy also had all been killed in various fashions. The thought process that had gone into the killing ranged from inspired to just plain deranged.

"She did this?" Buffy said quietly "Why? Did they hurt her or something"

"The word I got is that the people in those photos were known associates of one Geoffrey Chastain. Chastain showed up dead in a bar the same night this happened with both his hands shattered and his neck broken."

The room was now quiet again as each person digested this development in various ways.

"Ok Spike do you know where this …person might be now?" Buffy muttered resolutely.

"Well…there are only a few places that I am known to hang out in. frankly I don't think that anyone is going to last under her brand of interrogation."

"Right, you guys stay here" She turned to Xander already raising from his reclined position "that especially means you Xander"

"Come on Buffy, there is no way your going to face this lunatic by yourself"

"I'm not facing her by myself … Spike's coming with me"

"Hold on…hold on Girlie are you out of your blond haired, pom-pom waving mind"

"No arguments Spike, twenty minutes ago I didn't know this woman existed, now I have to confront her…maybe even fight her. I want any advantage I can get and right now that means you."

"You don't need an advantage, with this girl, you need the biggest, meanest back-up you can find, and that's to keep her distracted while you run away."

"That may be true Spike but I am going to face her tonight, now you can run if you want, But, if you do, you won't have the one advantage that might keep you alive if you meet her"

"What would that be?"

"Me, in case you have forgotten, in four years of trying you haven't managed to kill me once and your reputation was something to behold when we first met. So, Decide. You could take your chances as my backup. On the other hand, you could take a chance on running into this psycho on your own. I'll be in the car waiting for you to make up your mind."

***


	4. Bar Hopping

***

In Spike's defense, it took him only a little while to get outside and fire up the car. We drove across town and searched every place Spike might go. At a coffee bar, we ran into Jonathon who told us of a girl in her twenties killing vamps behind the Bronze. Spike's eyes lit up when Jonathon talked about her using a switchblade on the bloodsuckers.

"Is there something about the blade I should know about," I asked him later as we drove.

"It's her alright, That blade is her trademark there are some who have never met Sonja that know bout her switchblade."

"Is it magic, maybe I can get it away from her and use it against her."

Spike looked at me as if I was crazed. "You try to take that blade from her she will rip your arm off and beat you with it." I must have looked incredulous because he continued. "In a round about way her switchblade is like your Mr. Stick…"

"Mr. Pointy" I corrected him automatically "If she is this big bad ass slayer how did she get this reputation"

"Urban legends an' bar talk" he glanced over at me "have you ever disemboweled a vampire with your bare hands."

"Not that I am immediately aware"

"Well that is just one of the delightful tales that bring vampires here to Sunnydale looking to get a crack at the infamous Slayer"

We spent another hour looking for the Blue Woman. We came to a dive on the edge of town. It looked deserted. One obvious reason for its desertion was the fire and smoke pouring out of the windows and doors.

"She seems to have a bit of an impulse control problem" I deadpanned

"She's less then an hour away…we can still catch up with her though what you're going to do when we find her is a mystery to me"

"How do you know she's close can you sense her …some kind of mystic link"

"No the gas…she used gasoline to start the fire and the flames are still feeding off it"

We continued up the road. Sure enough, there was another dive and as we approached I saw a cacodeamon lurch out the door and fall on the ground with a pool cue lodged in his chest. Spike spilled out of the car and stooped to check the cooling body on the ground in front of him. I didn't need him to tell me that demon was dead. We than walked in the bar and down a short hall leading to the main room there were bodies strewn across the hall. Many had crawled to this hallway to die. As we walked down the hall, I heard Spike muttering a list of the various methods of death Sonja had employed

"Disembowelment, dismemberment, tracheal extraction…very nice, clean lines too, Ouch, now **that** had to hurt. I wonder what she did with the other half of the pool cue…Oops there it is. Guess he won't be mating much with that sticking out of him." 

We pushed open the door to the main bar. The room looked like a cyclone had hit it…**hard.** There were wrecked chairs and tables; the unmistakable smell of smashed beer and liquor stock had turned the air rancid. In the center of the room perched on top of someone was a girl no older looking then me with wild hair, a long leather jacket with Doc Martins on her feet. Her eyes, hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses.

She seemed to become aware of our presence. She stood up and walked slowly toward us, the person she had been speaking with abandoned like a rag doll. Although she was wearing shades, I could tell she only looked briefly at me before dismissing me from her mind and focusing all her attention on Spike.

"You must be William the Bloody…a.k.a. The Big Bad a.k.a. Spike. Do you know who I have gone through in order to find you."

She moved slowly, with purpose, Her movements had the graceful predatory air of a panther. Despite the punk outfit she wore, she didn't walk so much as she glided across the floor toward Spike.

"The full bore Abattoir outside was a clue" I sneered. She was ignoring me and for some reason, that pissed me off. "Is massacre your traditional method of interrogation." 

She looked at me. "GO home Barbie." I heard the voice in my head as well as in my ear. 

There was a pressure in my head and an urge to run out of that bar as fast as I could go, but even as I turned to flee, I felt a flash. 

A sensation of primeval power and a stirring within the darkness of my mind of a thing I know lurks just beneath the surface, the thing that was the source of my power as a slayer. It was responding to Sonja's Presence. Sonja, whatever, or whoever she was; was a force that I could cut loose on and would come back for more, for some reason that excited me in a terrible way. .

She had moved on backing Spike against a wall. "Spike I have had a long night. Many things have tried to kill me and the fact is that time is running out. Therefore, I'm going to ask this once. Where is the blade, I know you had it where is it now?"

"I don't know. I stole it from a private collection, but it was stolen from me by…an old friend they may have given it up to anyone by now"

"Alright Spike, next question…Antonio, has he approached you and what did you tell him about the blade."

"Antonio's in town, I didn't even know …there is no way in hell I would do business with that psycho."

"See Spike, I know that's a lie. You would do anything to get help with your little problem. I'll just bet Antonio promised to help fix your head if you helped him score the blade"

"I don't have the blade"

"Well how's about we just make sure"

Sonja reached for Spike with her switchblade in hand, which is right about when I reached for her.

* * *


	5. Blue vs Blonde

* * *

Spike was tying to come up with a **good** way to stay alive for a few more moments when Sonja stopped. He looked around her to See Buffy standing with her hand gripping Sonja's Shoulder.

Sonja blinked at the woman standing behind her then abruptly pushed Buffy's hand away.

"I said get lost cheerleader" She put more effort into her sending this time.

"I heard you the first time, I just wondered if that's all you got …Jedi mind tricks and hokey crap"

"Look I don't want to have an argument with you, but if you don't back off…"

"Yeah…yeah, whatever everyone has already told me about the great Sonja Blue. Me, I just think you're a punk with a stripper's name …or a cheap whore."

Sonja's hand came up lightning fast and gathered he front of Buffy's jacket in her hand.

"I was never cheap" She hissed her blood teeth falling into place.

"Good, then you'll be able to afford the world of hurt I will put you in, if you don't back the hell away from Spike and start explaining yourself."

Sonja slowly lowered her sunglasses down her nose revealing two blood red eyes. The pupils looked like red shoe buttons against the pale expanse of her face. "I'm sorry, am I supposed to find Bodyguard Barbie intimidating? Because just between us it's not happening." 

"…And you might want to turn my jacket loose before I break that arm off." Buffy continued as though Sonja had not spoken.

Sonja loosened her grip on Buffy's jacket and backed away. Buffy only had a moment to register the smile before the backhand was swinging her way. The Slayer bobbed her head low to avoid the arm, then came up grabbing at the arm with one hand while the other rammed into the joint at the elbow.

Spike heard the crack and watched as Sonja's eyes went wide behind her sunglasses. Then she snarled and unleashed a lethal jab into Buffy's stomach.

The two fighters backed off then, circling each other. The two traded blows for a moment, each were getting the measure of the other.

Then Sonja shot out her fist. Buffy stepped around the oncoming blow intending to knee Sonja in the stomach until the Blue Woman snaked her head forward and conked Buffy with a vicious head butt.

The blow staggered Buffy. Sonja stepped forward and nailed the young girl with a flurry of body blows that sent the nineteen-year-old back against a wall. Sonja rushed in to finish her off; and ran right in to a sole of Buffy's foot that had been coming around in a roundhouse kick. The blow sent the vampire spinning backward slamming on to the floor with a gross thud. She rolled clear and Buffy came off the wall.

"Let me guess" Said Sonja, the pain of the blows Buffy had landed clearly showing. "The much feared Slayer, I was looking forward to meeting you but I wasn't expecting a valley girl with a Power Ranger fetish"

"I wasn't expecting a rock groupie, street punk wannabe." Buffy declared sarcastically. She too was heaving from blows that were stronger then any she had felt before. She took a chance on a frontal attack going for the roundhouse kick again. This time the vampire was ready, She grabbed both Buffy's leg and body, picked her up off the ground, and hurled her across the room into the bar.

Buffy grunted as the pain shot through her body and cleared her punch-drunk mind. She saw Sonja swiftly cross the room toward her. She flipped her body up over the bar and didn't hear the smash as Sonja's fist took out he empty bar space that had been occupied by the teen slayer milliseconds previously.

The Blue Woman leapt on top of the bar. Buffy skipped to a shelf running the length of the bar. The two kicked and punched their way down the length of the bar. Sonja briefly lost her footing on the beer-slicked surface. Buff tried to take advantage and threw a punch at her. Sonja gripped her fist and started squeezing.

"It will take more then dry wit and a bad attitude to beat me" Sonja hissed at Buffy as she hauled her closer.

Buffy searched around the bar area and found what she needed. "Funny you should mention dry…" Kicking her foot out she caught hold of the bar snake behind the counter. "Just like a hake-sack" she thought. She foot tossed the bar snake into the air. She snatched it out of the air and shoved he dispenser into Sonja's face depressing the buttons on the top.

Foamy soda goodness shot out of the dispenser and caught the vampire in the face. Blinded, Sonja snarled and reached for the bar snake. Buffy kicked out again this time at Sonja's leg. The lady vamp lost her balance again. Buffy wrapped the bar snake around her throat.

Choking, Sonja clawed at the metal coil around her neck trying to pull air into her lungs that where screaming for sweet air. Reaching out with her foot she braced it against the edge of the bar top than with all the strength she cold muster she pumped hard. The force of the leap carried her up in the air and behind Buffy, breaking her grip on the bar snake. Sonja punched her hard in the side. Then she tangled her fingers in Buffy's hair; the vampire thrust the girl's head into the pressboard wall behind the bar. The impact dazed Buffy. She felt the woman pulling her backward for another blow. This time she was ready to brace her hands and soften the blow when her head hit the wall. She sank her fingers into the soft material, Thus braced, she kicked backwards hard, and the impact caught Sonja in her stomach. The blow finally caused Sonja to slip on the bar and crash to its surface. She rolled over and saw Buffy raising her leg high to kick downwards she took the force of the blow so that she could grab Buffy's leg. Then tossing her own legs high she wrapped them around Buffy's head and pulled hard. The two women went crashing to the floor.

Spike watched open mouthed, as the two fighters climbed to their feet. He had never thought this thing would go the distance.

Sonja did a quick catalogue of her bruised and broken body parts. This kid was no slouch, even with the damage she had done to her; the Slayer was still on her feet. She was stronger then any pretender Sonja had ever faced.

Buffy was reeling the only thing keeping her on her feet was the knowledge that She had to stop Sonja. If she could not beat the information she needed out of Spike, Sonja would eventually find the rest of the Scoobies. Then she got an image of Sonja going after Angel. No this fight would end here.

"If you think I'm letting you run wild in my town you are severely dreaming." She spat

Sonja heard her words and felt The Other stir in her back brain. Yes, the idea would work and it might save her life since the kid was obviously not going down through physical means. She feinted; Buffy rushed her with renewed vigor. The two clashed together and Sonja lashed out her mind. She grabbed a hold of Buffy and psychically dragged her down into a dark whirlpool. She had done this before with Chazz and that awful Catherine Wheele woman. Therefore, she was not surprised that she heard laughing. What surprised her, as she fell into the darkness was that the laughing was coming from something inside Buffy's mind. Something dark, primitive, and very pissed off.

Spike watched the two women fall to the floor. He checked both bodies. He realized that the fight had moved to a much more dangerous local. Looking around he found an unbroken telephone. Dialing Giles' number he danced from foot to foot hoping they were staying by the telephone. He heard a click and then the tired tones of Giles on the telephone the man was still obviously studying hard.

"Hello"

"Rupert we have big trouble in River City"

"Spike what are you talking about."

"You always seem to knew what Harris is saying"

"No I don't I just have more patience with him, anyway what is it, where is Buffy?"

"Sonja and Buffy are having a timeout right now"

"What!"

"Thy met each other and started beating the crap out each other"

"Is Buffy ok, Were you able to help her?"

"Well, if by helping, you mean getting out of their way and marveling how much punishment your slayer is capable of dishing out and taking, yes I helped a lot."

"You cowardly bastard"

"No time for bitching Rupert this is a serious call"

"What do you mean?"

"Sonja and Buffy are in the Place between Worlds."

"Oh God!"

"Considering their condition when they went in regardless of who is winning they are going to need our help getting out again.

"You have to get them both back here."

"Both of them, are you nuts"

"No, we need the both of them. I know who has the knife

"Antonio a manipulative psychopath who fancies himself a Warlock…yeah, Sonja mentioned."

Giles then told him why Antonio wanted the Ashanti Blade.

Spike looked at the two women on the floor. Their Faces twitching as they locked in dream combat. "Darkness about to engulf the world, The only two people who can stop it are trying to kill each other and the only hope is The Big Bad". Spike exhaled yanked out a cigarette, lit it, and took an awesome pull. "Bout time the Powers that Be left it to the Professionals."

***


	6. Interlude

Across town, a man stood at a window and considered his next move. He gazed at the city beneath him and wondered what the world would be like when he was a god. He wondered what kind of god he would be. Certainly not like the God, he used to revere back in the catholic churches and schools of his youth. That god attracted nothing but the scum of the world. He had always looked down on humanity long before he stopped being human. When he had been young, he had watched pious old men lecture about goodness, then engage in the most sinful behavior. That was where he had first learned the power of secrets. The things that old men would give him if he kept their confidence amazed him. The things that their rivals would give him when he betrayed those confidences amazed him even more.

It was an old priest, who had a fascination for watching the young chorus boys defile themselves sexually, who had given him the appointment to the records section of the Vatican Library. This was where the church kept its official documents on the supernatural. It was here amid the heretical literature that Antonio De Marco had taken his first halting steps into god hood. He begun to study the old texts and started to teach himself things only the Romany wanderers knew. His power had grown and with the power had come the knowledge of the larger world beyond. He sharpened his senses to the point where he could see that which was invisible to the naked mortal eye. His moment of revelation had come at the expense of one of his best clients. The old priest had been a beast of some sort, feeding off the guilt and shame the catholic faith inspires in all its adherents.

He had been encouraged to go on a pilgrimage. The official reason was so that he could share his gifts with the rest of the world. He noticed that many of those he had blackmailed breathed easier after he left. He traveled north and explored. It did not take him long to find others with secrets he could exploit and take advantage of. 

In the North Country, he had found a monastery in the middle of the peninsula traveled by the gypsy caravans. Under the guise of bringing God to the heathen, he had continued his education. He had continued his other sidelines as well. A young Romany Princess he was meeting led him to his end. She had been giving herself to him to gain wealth. When he had grown bored with her he had tried to dispose of her quietly. She had not gone quietly and had demanded a final meeting. Antonio had gone to the forest thinking to rid himself of the woman in a more permanent fashion. She had not been alone.

The vampire had almost killed him, but he had escaped. He had covered up the incident. The Gypsy bitch no doubt believed she had some power over him. His silence was not born of shame. He was possessed of a steely determination to have the power he had witnessed, the power of the undead.

"Which brings us to you my dear." He turned and murmured to the maid behind him. The maid's eyes filled with fear. Antonio liked that fear. It made him want to do more vile, depraved things to her. He crawled across the bed toward her watching as she tried to cry. He smiled, if only the fat friar who had taught him the pleasures of restraining those you wanted to ravage had known of a simple spell. It deprived the victim of movement and speech. He was just about to decide if he wanted to feed, or defile the savage little minx (her resemblance to the Romany Princess is what had gotten his attention) when the telephone rang. He cursed and intensified the spells to keep the girl quiet.

"Hello."

"You left the motel I set up for you." the voice at the other end hissed.

"It was a vile dump. Not conducive to the work I most do."

"As opposed to the first class hotel you moved to."

"The spirits move me as they will."

"Since it is I, and not the spirits that are paying for your accommodation some discretion might be in order"

Antonio looked at the maid spread eagle on the bed. "I'll try to take it easy on the room service."

" Pangloss has sent his enforcer to Sunnydale."

"Any idea why that old dilettante would involve himself in this."

"No doubt, he perceives my eventual victory as threat and schemes against me. It has ever been thus, in the clan wars.

"Don't worry, By the time She finds me I will have completed the spell and her powers will be mine to give you."

"My sources tell me that there was trouble picking up the item?"

Antonio looked at a metal case sitting on the bureau. "Those lawyers tried to get me involved in a messy revenge plot against the person the stole they blade from."

"What did they want you to do for them, Kill the man?"

"It wasn't a man it was a vampire and they didn't want him dead, they wanted the curse that binds him removed."

"Angelus … they wanted you to de-hex Angelus."

"Yes. It's part of some complex Byzantine plot … it could be done, but the convergence needed for the task you are paying me for is a fleeting one and there was no time to waste."

"Really, this has possibilities, perhaps when your task is over you might return to LA and…."

"Was there anything else, or can I go back to what I was doing?"

"Yes there is, Word has reached me that the Slayer has become aware of your presence

Antonio smiled at this. "Relax, Morgan I fully anticipate she will try to interfere. When she is dead the bounty is mine, I will remember to share …a small amount of the credit with you though."

Antonio hung up the telephone to cut off the protest from his employer. Then he glided over to the case and opened It. Inside lay a rough handled blade made from red crystal. The Blade pulsed faintly with life. He turned back to the bed and moved toward it turning the blade over in his hand.

"You know my dear, in all the excitement I almost forgot that I must prepare The Blade for its use. I am sure that once the horror of your imminent death has worn off you will begin to appreciate the honor I do you by allowing the blade to drink of your blood first."

Antonio started using the blade on her. He found it interesting that long after she bled dry she was still trying to scream.

***


	7. Tripping Out

***

The club is dark. Forms twist and writhe primitively. The crowd surrounds Buffy and urges her onwards. There he is in the centre of the floor. Like an angel or a god. Easy in his movements, sure in his posture, This was a man; not like the children she has known before. They start to sway to the beat. The hands are sure, guiding her and urging her across the floor. The darkness beckons. The promise of pleasures unrealized. The limousine is waiting. Champagne, the drink of lovers, chilling in the back seat, He has been waiting for her and only for her. The car heads into the fog and the darkness. They move slowly but soon his hands move more confidently… no wait, too confidently. Demanding, now there is no seduction only force and tears. The tears excite him. The things he makes her do. Her mind does not tell her how he does this. Only that she is scared and that he is wrong to do these things to her. She looks for salvation but it is only his face, the face of Lothos. The first Vampire Lord she ever killed. He bends her throat back and leans in

"Do you understand" He hisses. She cries out for rescue. "You must understand." The fangs hurt just as much as his manhood did, then there is only the darkness.

***

Sonja moves through the hallways of the school looking for her prey. She comes to a set of double doors and goes through them. It is a library. Stacks and stacks of books occupy every space. There is a tweed-jacketed man in amongst the debris. She moves toward him expecting a fight but he catches sight of her and raises to greet her warmly. His name is Claude Hagerty and he should be dead.

"Sonja how are you."

"Claude, you're alive, but I saw your body, I buried it myself"

"No I'm not, but I want to thank you for everything else"

"What d you mean?"

"I though I was going to die and my life wouldn't have amounted to squat but, thanks to you I made a difference and that makes things even better where I am."

"I am sorry I got you killed"

"I'm sorry that you are still feeling guilty about it."

"What are you doing here Claude?"

"You have to stop the dark one."

"What?"

"That's the message that they told me to tell you, you have to stop the dark thing inside of you before it tries to kill Buffy."

"Buffy just tried to kill me Claude."

"She is scared and reacting instinctively much as I did when I first met you. "

"As far as I can see she's more a danger then I am"

"That's because you don't understand yet, but you have to understand. The told me to tell you that too."

"Claude, who are **they**?"

***

Buffy is crying. She has made her only friend upset. She was out getting money from men as all women are supposed to do. She saw an old man who spends lots of money on women. Bu there was a vice cop in the area. She did not speak to the old man. This has made her friend upset. Her friend, who saved her, fed her, clothed her and trained her. After all, what else are women for, according to him? He is angry and he beats her with his walking stick. On a certain level, she realizes this man is a pimp and that he is taking advantage of weak and helpless girls. The Pimp wears the face of a UC Sunnydale student named Parker. As he beats her, all the while he asks her if she understands. Buffy screams in pain and frustration. The beatings must stop. The darkness swallows her.

***

The Other can hear Buffy; She has been searching this dark wasteland for The Slayer. Now that she knows where to look The Other heads for the horizon. However, things keep blocking her way. A Vampire Lord dressed in leather. A sinister, well-dressed man wearing a mayor's badge of office but it is the girl with the ornate blade in her hand that most intrigues The Other. "You look like you would be much fun " The Other whispers, the memory named Faith raised her blade. Come on sweetie give us a kiss." The Other is happy, appetizers before the main course.

***

Giles is with her and Buffy is feels safer. He has taken her from the life of exploitation that she knew and has given her new purpose. She has a new mission. To destroy the creatures that destroyed her life. Nevertheless, something nags at her. The things she hunts are monsters. She has their powers, many of their characteristics, and some of their weaknesses. Is she not a monster as well? Giles understands he will help her. She takes his elderly hands in hers he looks deep into her eyes.

"Do you understand" he asks kindly "You must understand."

She looks down at her hands and they have become claw-like. She can not control them. They crush Giles' hands in their grip. Giles screams, after awhile so does Buffy, the darkness can not come too soon this time.

***

Sonja looks at the book titles and marvels. They have titles like _Willow 1.0 for Dummies, How To Be Xander And Influence People, Ripper's Journey _and_ Slayers and The Mothers Who Love Them._

She picks up one of the leather bound volumes. She opens to a random page and sees a scene play in front of her.

__

Buffy is worrying about school. She has been spending so much time slaying she has had no time for her studies. Willow is there; she is helping tutor her best friend. Giles is helping. It would appear there are actual history books in the library.

She turns a page. _A depressed Buffy is in a bar alone. Xander appears he jokes and capers and sympathizes. She is happy he is there_. Sonja looks up at Claude.

"What is the point of this. Everyone has friends."

"You don't"

"I have Friends."

"No, when you were **human** you had friends. Now you have associates, temporary allies and enemies who respect you, but you don't have friends."

"And the point is…"

"Buffy is what she is because of her life. You are what you are because of the life you led.

Both of you must understand that. Your mission is the same, it's your approaches that differ."

"So what do I have to do. Kiss and make nice?"

"No, You have to understand there are things coming that you and Buffy must fight, both individually and as a team and the only way you will be able to triumph over them is if you understand. Do you understand"

"Yes."

"Then it's time for you two to really get to know each other."   
***

Buffy is on a tear. Thy have kidnapped her ally, friend… she carves through the army of Wheelers that stand between her and her foe. She is a whirlwind of death. All who to stand before her are cast aside, sucked clean and blown away. There is no guilt, or remorse. If you protect what you know to be a beast, you were just as guilty as The Beast itself. She bursts though the doorway. The enemy is before her in a silver lamé pantsuit. It is Faith, she is killing Xander…no… it is Angel who lies dead, his brain savaged by this monster. Faith looks at her.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, danm you I understand"

"Then you are ready."

There is no darkness this time. There is only light, Pure and warm.

***


	8. Mind over Murder

***

The door to Giles House burst open and Spike came barreling through. The others sprang from various positions of rest.

"Is it the sun?" Xander shouted

"Are you hurt?" Willow asked worriedly.

"These two are heavy." Spike shouted as he tossed his heavy burden on the recently vacated coach. Buffy and Sonja remained unconscious.

Xander went to the fireplace and retrieved an axe. Thusly armed he moved in the direction of Sonja.

"What do you think you're playing at Harris." Spike grabbed the ax away from him tossing it onto the dining room table the loud bang-brought Giles from the Kitchen.

"I thought I might save Buffy, Which usually seems like a good idea when she is in danger."

"You can't kill Sonja, not when she is like this."

"Why not?"

"Spike's right." Willow nodded "In this state both of their sprits are absent from their bodies if something happens to Sonja she might try to take over Buffy's body."

"The Slayer may know her fighting skills in the real world but I don't think she's ever fought anywhere like the Place between Worlds. The rules that apply here are nothing in that realm."

"You've fought there before."

"Well not exactly fought…more like ah…shagging actually. Dru and me used to … while we where doing it in the real world. It was like…

"It was something we don't need to know about. You don't hear me going on and on about how great the sex is with Anya."

"No, he doesn't have to. I am more then willing to brag about his great skills and his big…"

"Anya!"

"…I was going to say your big loving heart"

"Thank you!"

"Although your thick pen…"

Giles interrupted. "Yes well, even though I would love to hear where this I going, could we attend to the matter at hand?"

Willow nodded "Tara and I have been reading and it is possible to …hmm I am not sure how to say this, piggy-back into whatever dream reality Sonja and Buffy are fighting in."

"How do we know that Buffy is still alive in there?" Xander said worriedly.

"If she has survived this long there is every reason to think that she will still be alive when we get her out." Anya said honestly.

"Aren't we kind of taking a big risk, I mean this is the Blue Woman. Wasn't Spike running scared for his life from this girl not too long ago." Tara pointed out

"Back then she was the most dangerous person in Sunnydale. If Giles is right and Antonio is doing major voodoo in town then Sonja will need our help stopping him. I can guarantee she may be the only hope The Slayer has of betting him."

"How would this work?" Xander Asked.

"Well I would send my spirit in the dreamscape find them break them up and guide their minds back to the waking world." Willow watched for the explosion on Xander's face. She was not disappointed.

"This getting too dangerous; Willis are you nuts?" Xander was so far past being objective he couldn't remember what it looked like when he'd passed it.

"Xander I can do this, more important I **have** to do this, if we don't do anything Buffy could die"

"She might beat Sonja."

"Yes she might, and when she gets back to the real world the most powerful potential ally in all of this could be lying at our feet. If I pull this off, **both** of them will be alive."

***

The hallways were familiar, but the clothing she was wearing was not. It was Sunnydale High much as she remembered it (before it had become a smoking crater). She was wearing Jeans, a Circle Jerks T-shirt, and a leather jacket. She had to admit that as camouflage it was perfect. This ensemble was standard for the rebel. In the fifties, the sixties, Hell even in this glorious Year of Our Lord 2000 you still did not look too out of place with a T-shirt, a leather jacket and a pair of jeans.

"I know where this is going." she muttered to herself. She headed down the hallway. If she remembered, the Library was on the other side of the gym. She could cut through there. Buffy strode through the gym doors and found it empty save for a lone cheerleader stretching on the floor she walked toward her then stopped.

She had been wearing James Dean-like garb now she was clothed in the yellow of the Sunnydale cheer squad.

She moved across the gym floor and approached the girl. "Sonja?"

"Actually, I'm Denise, All that's left of the girl that became Sonja."

"Buffy…"

"The Vampire Slayer yes, I have been watching. You seem nice."

"I have to say this is not what I expected at all."

You are not what I expected. Destiny called and you answered. No hesitation or looking back. It is not like me. I was forced into this life."

"I saw, You have nothing to be ashamed about, you survived where a lot of others wouldn't have. Even my friend Angel gave in to the darkness eventually. By the way, you're wrong about not looking back. I have looked back many times. More times then I care to remember. It's my friends who make this life and the burden that comes with it, easier to bare."

"I'll try to explain to your friends that it wasn't personal."

"What do you mean, I thought we understood each other?"

"Like the song says Buffy, no here gets out alive Just because you and I have connected doesn't mean anything to My Darker half "

"Sonja?"

"Sonja is not a problem she's more like me then she likes to admit. Or maybe She is what I would have become without the silver spoon in my mouth, I don't know."

"The Other"

"There is no compromise with something that treats everything it can't eat or dominate as something it has to kill."

"I can beat it. Get us both out of here."

The girl looked at Buffy and shook her head violently. Buffy thought she was just disagreeing. Then she stopped, her hair had changed and her eyes were now mirrored spheres.

"Buffy, I have been fighting the other for over thirty years and I haven't beat it how are you supposed to do it."

"She's not!"

The doors to the gym exploded inward. Buffy and Denise/Sonja, thrown to the floor, marveled at what they saw. Standing in what used to be the doorway to the gym was a creature. The arms were long, almost simian in appearance. Its hair was tangled and tortured. From the depths of the wild nest of hair, two blood red eyes stared. To Buffy, it was like looking at a melded photo of Sonja and a Neanderthal.

"Well surprise, surprise here we are in the middle of mental combat against someone powerful and instead of helping me take the bitch down you want to have a lovely girl bonding moment with the person we need to off." The voice is like fingernails on chalkboard.

Minutes ago this would have been an easy fight for Buffy. Kill the bad guy. Now that she knew what The Other was, would she kill Sonja and Denise by hurting this nightmare?

The Other crossing the floor in a heart beat moved to cut Buffy off from her two sisters (when did Sonja & Denise separate?) Buffy rose to meet the challenge avoiding the first few blows and deflecting the rest. Then, obviously tired of playing games The Other grabbed Buffy around her throat. She lifted the struggling girl high and brought her closer.

"You know Buffy I've been thinking, I need to expand my circle of friends and you have so many I could play with. Your little friends and me will have such fun. Then I could find your friend Angel an have fun with him too."

The hand clamped on Buffy's throat squeezed tighter. Denise shrieked from the side.

"Don't give up, everyone has something inside them you have to find and use it danmit."

Buffy opened her mouth to scream but no sound emerged. A fist did. It smashed into The Other's face like a locomotive, sending her sailing through the air. The teenager hit the deck and began throwing up. Out of the mess rose a form, sleek and dark with tribal marking all over its face and body. Sonja thought it was Buffy's version of The Other. Buffy knew it by another name, The First Slayer.

The Other was unimpressed and said so. "What the hell do you want?"

"To give you a gift" The voice was like ashes crackling on a fire.

"What do you want to give me." The Other sneered

"Death."

The pair clashed madly like terriers with no food. There was no quarter asked or granted. During the fight, the First Slayer hauled a wickedly sharp bone from somewhere. She hurled it at the dark creature in front of her. The Other caught the bone spur and hurled it back at The First Slayer. She dodged as though it was moving slowly. The bone continued onward toward the teenage Denise. She was surprised when a hand grabbed the bone out of the air inches from her face.

"Willow what the hell are you doing here." Buffy was surprised at how glad she was to see her friend.

"I'm being the sidekick; last minute arrival, tipping the odds in the hero's favour." Willow said brightly as she discarded the pointed weapon.

"Willow we need to stop those two by any means." Buffy shouted.

Willow nodded as she stepped forward. She was dressed in flowing black. Her eyes darkened and she gestured.

"Let this contest be ended; let this dream disperse." Wind rushed through the gym, hauling the two fighters apart and hurled them to opposite sides of the gym. The group was just adjusting to the death match being over when the ceiling ripped away. Above their heads a whirling vortex spun in the heavens.

"Willow I thought you were getting us out of here."

"She is, that is the way out." Sonja called out loudly.

"Up there? I'm a Vampire Slayer, not Wonder Woman."

"Haven't you realized yet, your only limitation in this world is your mind. As the movie says, free your mind.

Sonja grabbed Denise and they flew upwards toward the rift in the world. Willow grabbed Buffy and together their feet left the ground as the world collapsed. Amid the chaos behind them, she could still hear The Other and the First Slayer cursing and screaming for release.

"Willow what bout them?"

"Once we are out of here, they'll be fine."

Then there was only light.

***


	9. Group Hugs

***

Buffy as the first to wake up. Sonja was not far behind, sitting bolt upright on the couch as if a current was passing through her body. The others backed away from them both to give them room, but Sonja noticed that a dark haired teen was trying to protect the girls with an axe that looked like it had seen some expert use at his hands. This must be Xander. She thought. Buffy climbed to her feet unsteadily and tried to still the ringing gong in her head.

"Is it Sunday already, or is this ringing in my head?" She asked.

"The ringing is a byproduct of serious astral combat." Answered Sonja, "Be thankful you're still around to hear those bells. It means your brain isn't tapioca pudding right now."

"I sometimes long for the time when surviving astral combat wasn't the high point of my day." Buffy said wistfully.

The vampire climbed off the coach and took her first look at the group of undergrads that stood between the gates of hell and the world. A British gentleman stepped forward and stuck out his hand.

"Rupert Giles; Ms. Blue."

"Call me Sonja please, Ms. Blue is too formal for people I already know."

"I'm sorry I haven't had the privilege."

"She has, Giles," Buffy supplied "When we were in there, we learned a lot about each other. I guess the powers wanted us to play nice for this outing."

Sonja saw the red head she had seen inside The Dreaming earlier. "You were very brave Ms…"

"Call me Willow and Thank You."

"Never mind that, Will what were you thinking? That was dangerous." Buffy lectured.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"I don't want to belittle your accomplishment." Sonja said hesitantly " …but you're very lucky. "If Buffy's imago of The First Slayer hadn't been fighting the …My Dark Half, you would have been toast." Still that's very impressive for a first timer."

"I'm sorry, but I'm supposed to go from beware the Blue Woman, to lets all play nice, in less then a heartbeat." Xander asked sarcastically.

"Honestly? I have my doubts about this arrangement, but I am willing to forgo my normal MO if it will get me a crack at Antonio." Sonja muttered.

"Who is this guy? And what's he to you anyway?" Buffy asked seriously.

"Antonio or Anton the Defiler is a mage now and was a dealer in restricted and illegal information centuries ago. He does mercenary work, information brokerage spying anything that gives him any kind of an advantage. He trades for anything that gives him money or influence or powers anything and everything he can find out about you, your friends, and your enemies. He brokers the secrets and trades it for more wealth, power."

I know I'm going to regret asking but how come this dude has been running around for centuries." Xander asked wearily 

He has had access to the Vatican library including the restricted texts. And trust me there is more in their hands then just The Gospel According To Mary Magdalene or the truth about which biblical and religious figures were really Pretenders in the wrong place at the wrong time." 

Giles gaped "The Restricted texts, heavens, then he has read….

Sonja interrupted "read, reread, copied and then sold copies of enough forbidden knowledge to start apocalypses that would impress even jaded folk like you." 

"What's he doing here?" Buffy asked 

"Sunnydale and the Hellmouth are of particular interest to any number of overlords and demons. Recently, the word has been that some thing big hit town and Anton wants a piece of the action. "

"Come again." Buff asked quizzically

"Antonio is going to use the blade on the Hellmouth, soon I should think." Giles interjected.

"What's he going for: rule the world, release a god, become a god maybe." Tara asked.

"Don't know, Those people that can tell me are extremely reluctant to say and my methods of persuasion can be very effective. The only thing I can learn is that the magic is going down soon; that he needed the blade to do it and that he had to do it near the Hellmouth."

Willow rose from the chair where she had been resting after her ordeal. "I think he might be going for the Mother of all spells, the Holy Grail."

"Nocturnal Infinitum." Spike said with reverence.

"Night without end" Giles said in monotone. "And the nights becoming something truly bizarre."

"That would definitely be a spell that could be done from here this is the only magical loci that has the power to focus that much energy." Sonja considered. She had to admit having partners to brainstorm with was useful. She already had a bunch of people in mind that would definitely want to be informed if Antonio were going for the endless night scenario. 

"Then we track him, find him, and stake him." Buffy said resolutely as she rose to her feet.

"You got to know he's expecting you. I'm sure he knows that I'm trying to find him and there is no way he won't realize that you guys will be tracking him too." Sonja spoke as she interposed herself between Buffy and the door

"Well, what's Tony The Terror gonna do, send a team of vampires and demons to try to kill us?" Xander joked confidently.

It did sound ridiculous, but in that Universe-Loves-To-Play-Jokes-On-Xander way that the universe has; that was when the door smashed in and Vampires and demons started pouring into the house.

***


	10. Grab the Prize

***

Twenty minutes before, Antonio was standing in the bar devastated by the battle between The Slayer and the Blue Woman. He surveyed the damage and marveled at the raw, primitive energy wasted by these supporters of the cause of light.

He turned to the man next to him "Does Morgan think I can't deal with this mess by myself renfield?"

"Lord Morgan does not presume to tell me what his inner thoughts may be. "

"More is the pity for you, since you can never know when he has delivered you up to be sacrificed."

"If I am allowed to die in the service of our Lord--"

"Then you be replaced in twelve hours by another love-addicted renfield ready to make an even more theatrical gesture."

"Lord Morgan…"

"Drooling sycophant, I need nothing from your kind. Get the girl and bring her to me."

"Our Lord made it clear, I was to report to him following completion of the task."

"Dogs-body, I expect you will be killed in the process." He snarled. "I will deal with Morgan if the moment presents itself, now go. The very sight of your kind sickens and offends me."

Antonio dismissed him with a contemptuous movement. He chose not to notice the hand gesture the sensitive throw at him from behind. This is a shame, for he would have recognized it as an Italian hand gesture, which might have reminded him of times that were more innocent.

The renfield stepped out to the ruined hallway; a group of mixed beings, both demons and vampires, waited for him. One of them stepped forward.

"How are we supposed to get in." The vampire grunted.

"I will deal with that; all you have to do is find this girl." The renfield answered as he held up a picture, the beings studied it. Except for a large demon in the back, upon getting the picture, he ate it.

Antonio stepped out in to the hallway to join them. "I will be at the central gathering place." He turned to the dapper Renfield. "Bring the girl there; if The Slayer or The Blue Woman pursue you, use any means to prevent their finding the site."

The demons and vampires grunted and filed out the door

Antonio watched them go and then surveyed the damage to the hall including a body that had half a pool cue sticking out of it.

"Ouch" he thought "guess you won't be mating much with that sticking out of you." He wondered which of his enemies had done the honors.

***

Twenty minutes later the battle began in Giles' house. He grabbed Tara and Willow and yanked them into the kitchen. Xander pushed Anya in the direction of the kitchen then turned to stave off an onrushing demon. The teenager's heart was in the right place, but he lacked the strength to back his actions.

Spike tossed himself across the room with a curse. He tackled the demon and began to rain punches on the beast with animal-like ferocity. Xander shouted something that sounded like thanks and pushed Anya the rest of the way into the kitchen.

Buffy watched all of this with the part of her mind not occupied with staying alive and keeping her friends the same way. A vampire tried to grab for her, but she ducked and then powered her fist upwards, throwing her considerable strength behind a devastating body blow. The vampire doubled up. Buffy gripped his head and did a quick twist-jerk motion and the vampire was no more.

Sonja fought off attackers from two directions at once. She dodged the first punch and grabbed the assailant kneeing him in the body. She then rolled herself over the back of the now doubled over vampire, snapping his arm in the process. The vampire screamed in agony and fell to the floor Sonja's switchblade was in her hand and stabbing downward inside of a half a heartbeat. "Now for the other guy" she thought as she rose from the cloud of recently expired vampire thug. He came in low, Sonja obliged him by rushing him, but at the last minute, she vaulted over him. The vampire, expecting a clash, was surprised when his quarry disappeared. He turned to find her and ran right into Sonja's Doc Martin that hit him like it had been moving at the speed of sound. The vamp crashed to the floor and stayed there, his head and neck bent at an awkward angle. Sonja looked around and saw a vampire sneaking up on Buffy. She reached for the fireplace and shouted "Buffy, duck! "

Buffy had been living near the Hellmouth long enough that when she heard duck she hit the floor. A vampire trying to sneak up on her, exploded into dust. He had been impaled by the fireplace poker.

Several of the creatures were heading for the kitchen. Giles brandished a wickedly sharp knife sweeping to in front of him and keeping two creatures at bay. Willow gestured and pointed to one of them shouting "Ïncendio" the vampire exploded into a pillar of flame. His partner froze. This was the only opening needed by Giles. He shoved the knife into the demon's heart.

It was at this moment that Xander shouted. "Has anyone besides me noticed we are being attacked by vampires and we didn't invite any of them in?"

Sonja looked around the room. Her eyes switched to Pretender Vision and saw him. A Renfield, by the look of him and from his head emanated a web of light that covered the room. He was moving toward the kitchen and Spike was closest. "Spike, that guy, stop him." Spike throw a punch at the fleeing man and than doubled over in pain. His brain racked by scorching, chip-induced fire. The renfield climbed back to his feet. Buffy saw him, looking around she saw the poker sticking out of the wall. Grabbing it she reared back and threw the poker hard. It streaked across the room and lodged inside the body of the renfield. There was a shimmering in the air. Buffy kicked a vampire that had been menacing her through the door. He leapt off the ground and raced toward her. His body struck the doorframe. It bounced backward some twenty feet into a van that was idling at the end of the driveway.

Xander shouted in triumph. Suddenly, The photograph-eating demon backhanded him across the room. His body sailed up and over the dining table to land on top of Spike who was just getting back to his feet. The demon then reached out and grabbed Anya as she rushed past. He hauled the struggling girl off her feet and then broke for the door. Buffy and Sonja gave chase. The demon made for the van and tossed Anya inside then crawled inside. The van raced away.

Spike ran outside and leapt toward his car. Buffy was about to join him when he stopped, and began cursing in every language he had acquired in his centuries of life.

"What is it?" Sonja asked as she hurried up to the pair.

"The bastards slashed the tires." Spike screamed in frustration.

"What about Giles' car?" Asked Buffy as she looked down the street at the fleeing van.

"Inside the carport, until you move my car you can't get at it and by the time you do that…."

Xander ran into the street "Where did they go? Are we going after them?"

Buffy grabbed her friend. "Listen Xander there is nothing we can do now."

"What do you mean, there's nothing you can do? They have Anya. Obviously, they were trying to get us all, but they settled with Anya." Xander shook Buffy's hands loose. "If you don't want to find her then I'll do it myself."

"Danm you, Alexander Harris, I won't be made to feel guilty for keeping you out of trouble." She screamed angrily. "I love you; I love the way you are with Anya and I will give my life if I have to, to save hers. What I won't do is charge blindly into the mouth of the beast just because you have separation anxiety."

Buffy turned on her heel and stalked into the house Spike diving to get out of her way. Inside the gang started the task of reassembling Giles living room and kitchen. Xander sank himself into the task of repairing the frame for the door. Sonja looked around the room and saw a team, no a family in crisis.

"I thought you guys where used to this kind of stuff." she asked Giles quietly.

"We are" Gilles answered hesitantly. "Focus is what is need here and now."

"Why just kidnap Anya." Tara volunteered "Why not the rest of us."

"Easy prey." Xander grumbled.

"No they wanted her, specifically" Sonja pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"Thy went right for the kitchen and they didn't stop fighting when you killed the renfield. They were here for a reason and they didn't stop till they got what they wanted."

"Ok" asked Xander "why just Anya, did thy want human blood?"

"Maybe…" said Sonja now thinking aloud. "But thy have a whole town to choose from why come all they way over here and kidnap one human."

"Maybe they want an ex-vengeance demon of their own." Willow teased gently.

"Well they can't have her. I love my vengeance demon; I want her back" Xander whined.

Sonja grabbed Xander "Vengeance demon, your girlfriend is a vengeance demon!"

"Ex-vengeance demon," said Buffy. "It's a long story."

"Oh this is bad" Sonja released Xander and started pacing the room the others stopped with the cleaning and gathered to hear what would obviously be more bad news.

"What vengeance demons do is effect probability. You know …the chances that something happens get better or worse depending on what a vengeance demon does. Like any magic, altering the probability flow of the universe is a chancy thing. Push to far one way and something equal has to happen to counter it. What vengeance demons usually do is alter the luck for a spurned maiden causing something equally bad to happen to the guy."

"But she isn't a vengeance demon anymore her talisman was destroyed." Willow pointed out she had been intimately involved in the affair. "Her master abandoned her to whatever might befall her." 

"Wouldn't matter," Sonja shook her head vigorously. "The talisman is a focus only; it just looks like a source of power. The raw energy to do it comes from within. I imagine that was why she was allowed to stay here. The potential for her to find a new way to focus her abilities and become a full demon again was always inside her. "

"So these guys stole Anya for what? To change the chances of pulling off some powerful magic spell?"

"If you were performing a ceremony that could either give you the world or swallow it whole wouldn't you want to bend the odds in your favour."

"Then the only thing he would need would be the knife. Spike, you told Sonja that you didn't have that knife, that an old friend had it. Who was that?"

"Drusillia, when we broke up she took off with blade. The last time I saw her, she didn't have it. "

"Willow, call Angel, see if he knows anything about this." Giles ordered. Willow picked up the telephone and dialed furiously. In moments, there was a click and then a lot of happy gabbing & talking before a look from Buffy got Willow back on track. She exchanged words and then hung up he telephone.

"They had the blade but it was lost when Wolfram & Hart blew up their old offices. Angel thinks that they have it now but he'll check the ruins again just be sure."

"Danm, this just gets worse; all right, we have to assume that if Wolfram & Hart had the knife then Antonio has it now."

"It also means we may have only a day left to stop them. I don't see them kidnapping Anya unless everything else is already in place."

"Then we attack now." Xander stated firmly

Sonja vetoed. "Look I am not part of this group. You'll do what you think is right, but if you go charging in without knowing more then we do now; not only are you risking Anya's life, but your own as well. Not to mention those that will suffer if Antonio pulls off whatever he is doing."

"What do you suggest, time is running out and the Bad Guys seem to be making all the major moves." Buffy challenged.

"Then its time to get some inside information; where is The Monastery in this town?"

"Well there's a Catholic Church on the East Side."

"No I mean a bar, kind of sleazy."

Xander nodded "I know the place, it's is kind of creepy, I had to bring Dad back from there once or twice. It's on the south side of town."

"Buffy lets go."

"I coming with you."

"Xander…"

"Buffy if I'm with you, then you know I'm not chasing after Antonio."

"Xander I wont be…"

"Buffy please…"

She looked into his pleading eyes and then relented. "Alright, The rest of you stay here and try to figure out how we stop this maniac."

Outside the three moved Spike's jalopy out of the way and retrieved Giles' car from the depths of the garage. Armed with the G-man's car Xander climbed in the driver's seat and the two girls leapt into the back.

"Where are we going." Buffy asked as Xander maneuvered into the traffic.

"To see an old friend."

"You know someone in this town."

"Not in his town, in this bar."

"What's the difference." Xander asked as he negotiated a left turn.

"Well it's hard to explain, but the door to the bar exists in real time. The bar on the other hand is somewhere else; for reasons of sanity I don't bother asking where it is."

"And your friend, he lives in this place and is going to help us stop this psycho vampire sorcerer."

"No, but he should be able to give us the skinny on who's behind Antonio and what they sent him here for."

"So who is this guy?"

"He is not a guy, he's a demon and his name's Melfis" 

"What?"

***


	11. Inside Info

***

**__**

Buffy's Tale 

"Melfis"

"Sonja"

When Sonja mentioned seeing a demon, I had my doubts. They only increased when she mentioned meeting him at a place like The Monastery. When we met him, he looked like Lenny Kravitz with a beard and moustache shaved to a finely maintained goatee and dreads that flowed off his head in waves.

The decor was in a church motif with pews for seats, a Madonna and Child over the bar religious icons scattered around the room and a stained glass skylight. 

Sonja had taken another stab at explaining the unique properties of the bar. There's door in New Orleans, Sunnydale, New York, Toronto, anywhere it has to be. You walk in to the bar from wherever you are. 

Xander had asked the obvious question. How does it know where to take you back? I mean what's to stop you from using the bar as a means to travel anywhere in the world you might want to go. " 

One," Sonja had answered " its never a good idea to ask Melfis anything other then what is absolutely needed and Two …well lets just say that Melfis charges pretty hefty prices just to give you information. I don't want to know what he would charge for transport." 

Xander headed to the sparsely populated bar to grab us drinks. He struck up a conversation with a young waitress with short streaked hair. Sonja and I slid into a booth. I figured this would be her show but I had not counted on my celebrity.

"I love who you hang with Sonja; Buffy Summers, The Vampire Slayer."

Sonja winced and looked at me "She's Ok Melfis."

"Of course she's ok, Ms. Summers there are quite a few of people who are very impressed with your body of work. The Initiative affair, the whole thing at graduation…amazing!"

"Thank you, Mr. Melfis."

"Please, its just Melfis and the honor is mine; imagine the personifications of mayhem and chaos at my table."

I was all set to be insulted when Sonja dropped a hand on my arm. Melfis seemed to be aware of my reaction.

"Please don't be insulted, but you have to realize where I come from you two are talked about like the mortals refer to Pompeii or the San Francisco earthquake, an awesome force of nature to behold. "

Xander came back at the table he plopped my drink in front of me and slid into the booth on our side. "What a place." he muttered "Remind me not to bring Dawn here the next time I have to baby-sit."

I nodded carefully "Xander if you ever brought my sister here I would break every bone in your body starting with the one Anya likes the most."

Melfis was looking at me weird when I focused back on him I would have asked what the problem was but Sonja decided it was time to start negotiating.

"Melfis we're looking for Antonio the Defiler and if you could get us some idea of who's behind him that would be good."

"Shouldn't be too difficult." He said looking at Sonja expectantly.

Sonja seemed stressed. "Sorry Mel, I didn't bring my usual stash."

"Girl-chick you know the deal I like payment up front. What do you have?"

"It's really important you could have the inside track on a major bit of mayhem shaping up" I said trying to be helpful.

"I know more about the mayhem shaping up then you do. That's why Sonja comes to me and that's why she pays the prices I charge."

"How much does he cost" I asked her

"He doesn't charge money. Money is meaningless to his kind he goes for something a little more…"

"I'm not trading my soul for information, I don't believe you did either." I said.

"Not souls missy miss I prefer a more down to earth pleasure the emanations of evil contained in objects."

"Objects like-"

"Hair, finger nails, objects involved in particularly brutal crimes. I even go for that skunkweed that's connected to tragedies in fact I'll lower my prices just this once cause its the my favorite customer and The Slayer."

"That's sick, how come I've never met you before?"

You never needed my services, nor would it occur to you to ask for me. Trust me, I have always been here. Angel has visited many times over the years. I see less of him since he moved to LA; still he comes by about once a month.

"Look I'll pay double next time, Mel just give me a freebie this once."

Sonja, honey I give to you and soon nobody wants to pay, then where am I?

"I've got something." Xander spoke up "It's kind of small."

"Depends what it is."

"It belonged to my Grandfather and apparently dad got it from him." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys attached to a pocketknife that I had seen hundreds of times before. He pulled it off the key ring and handed it to the demon. He took it and sniffed it, than he took a huge long sniff, as if it was the sweetest flower.

"This I some massively vile shit."

I looked at Xander, over the years he has hinted that his life at home was like but never for a second would I have believed it would be anything like this. Melfis caught me looking at Xander and reacted jovially

"Kid, I am impressed; you mean **they** don't know what kind of a monster you live with or what his old man was like?"

"This is not share-Xander's-pain time, Ok, now give with the info you're being paid for. "

Melfis leaned back and took another deep pull on the pocketknife then stowed it away somewhere. Then his eyes rolled back into his head; he began a low grunting to himself.

I looked at Sonja who was staring at Xander as if he had grown a second head. I started to say something, but he looked at me with a "Buffy don't" in his eye. I turned to Sonja, who chose to answer my unasked question.

"I have seen him turn up his nose at bullet casings from the Manendez family home. Whatever's on that knife… "

"It has been a long time since it was that bad, but yeah moving out is big on my to-do list."

"Do willow or Anya know about this?"

"They know what I want them to know. You say nothing about what you saw today, nothing. Lying to Willow is bad enough, but having to lie to Anya would kill me." Xander said quietly.

"Why would you carry something like that around with you?"

"Cause it's a great reminder that not all the demons I face in this town have horns and growl."

Melfis snapped out of his mystic abstraction. "Ok here it is Sonja, Antonio has Morgan backing him and paying the bills Wolfram and Hart are observing, so to speak "

"What is he after? Eternal night is the popular theory."

"They are hazy on the why and where-art-thou but thy did give me his current location and turned me on to the popular theories."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The rumor mill has it that there is a hunt on for anyone who can duplicate Sonja's powers. Big money in it too." Melfis explained, gesturing to Sonja. "See, when our girl here, popped up most pretenders thought that she was a super noble doing some in your face conflict. Sonja, as I'm sure you know, is immune to most of the stuff that kills other vampires and she's stronger than most of them as well."

"This I know." I whined

"But why kidnap Anya."

"The vengeance demons blood would swing the weight of luck in his favour I mean, it is a miracle that Sonja wasn't killed during her being brought across."

"So he's doing this so some master vampire can have pet slayer on the pay roll?" I asked him

"Babe, they try stuff like this every other week, your own council used to pull crap like this." Thing I can't figure out is why the First Hierarchy is so hot for you to stop them."

I didn't react much to that off hand remark but it got Sonja all excited I stared quizzically. She looked at me 

"First Hierarchy are the major players in hell. The guys who got kicked out when heaven put the kibosh on their extra-dimensional fun."

"Yeah apparently, they wanted you to have this."

He scribbled an address down and slid it across the table at me.

"By the way, this part is a freebie, watch your back Slayer. The delicate balance that runs this place is fragile enough without Antonio messing this up with his tenpenny hedge magic."

We rose to leave.

"Buffy take care of that sister of yours; she's quite the special child. You should really reconsider bringing her by here."

Truth is, I keep Dawn away from this part of my life, and I didn't plan to see Melfis again.

On the way back to Giles', Sonja kept looking back at the bar and muttering to herself I couldn't catch all the words, but it sounded as though she whispering to someone. "He never takes personal interest …and since when does the Monastery have a waitress?"

***

Melfis settled back into the shadows of the bar. His work finished, he was off the hook. He looked forward to getting out of this town especially with his hide intact. The bartender smiled prettily and headed toward his table with a drink in hand. He had noticed her come in just before Buffy and Sonja. Melfis knew this personal appearance was a bad sign. He was just glad Sonja had not noticed the presence. God only knew what she and The Slayer might have done, had they known who was serving them drinks.

The angel slid into the booth. She had added hair to her head since the last time Melfis had seen her. It was now a brown pixie cut with steaks of gold and red running through it. She wore basic black. The only splashes of colour being a John Lennon T-shirt and a button near the collar that read "Born to Burn". Her eyes fixed on Melfis, smooth looking orbs that were colored gold.

"Hello Cousin" he said weakly to the new arrival.

"Melfis so nice to see you, tell me, was that the Blue Woman and The Slayer leaving?"

It always began with a few innocent questions; the cruel tricks and tortures started after she had grown bored with needling you with her sense of humor. Melfis made a small sound as he contemplated the eternity of punishment he could look forward to if he had screwed up in anyway.

"Can I assume from that tortured squeak that you did what you were told and The Slayer and her friends are on their way to take care of the Antonio Problem." Mel nodded and his guest smiled "And your pop said you couldn't be counted on to handle a big job like this. Good for you," 

"Can I ask why you wanted to talk to the Slayer's Pet Jester." 

"Why Melfis, I'm shocked you need to ask. I'm all about future investment and that boy has quite a future in front of him." 

"But he is on the restricted lists. No interference in his destiny."

The Sarcastic smile that flashed at that comment covered over half of her face. "And my track record on following rules is just so exemplary isn't It." she reached across the table and pinched his cheeks, very, very hard. "Now one last little detail to take care of." Melfis listened as if his soul depended on it, which in hindsight it most likely did.

***


	12. Interludes and Workouts

***

Anya had seen a lot in her time so she didn't scare easily. The people who had kidnapped her, and blindfolded her now hustled her though the dark. Hands pressed against her in scary ways as she was moved from a cramped space to a more open area with echoes all around. She heard low chanting and praying and hoped that something would happen soon

The blindfold disappeared and harsh light assailed her eyes. She glimpsed a form that took solid shape as her eyes adjusted to the vision in front of her. It was a man with swarthy Mediterranean features Anya had cursed Italian men often enough during her time as a vengeance demon, she could tell one on sight. This was obviously the bad guy, Antonio.

"You're the bad guy shame on you for kidnapping me. You realize of course, your dastardly plot will fail."

"What dastardly plot would you be referring to?"

"Who can know, this being Sunnydale you're obligated to come up with an interesting plot to destroy or dominate the world just to get yourself noticed."

"Well I trust that kidnapping you has moved me firmly to the top of the list of those The Slayer must deal with."

"I hope so, I hate this place and I want Xander to come and rescue me."

"Who would have thought the deadly Anyanka would have become a mewling maid eager for a man's attention. When I think of the women I sent to the stake and the inquisition dungeons for invoking your name."

"Hey if any of them had a man like Xander I doubt they would have needed my services. Now since you obviously need me alive I want food. I hate attending sacrifices on an empty stomach, especially my own."

"I could be waiting to kill you."

"If you were going to kill me you would have done It and the lack of robed acolytes tells me that any ceremony hasn't started so I'm safe till it does."

"The idea of you dying to further my own ends, means very little to you."

"It's part of some boring plot to make yourself a god or take over the world or something equally vapid and useless like that?"

"Being a god means nothing to you." The vampire mage asked incredulously.

"Are you kidding, me do you know what troubles you have when you have god-like powers. Blink in the wrong way and that cute maiden you were hoping to despoil turns into a bird, blink again and the bird becomes a man. Stop blinking and the man becomes a god, who is all pissed because he is no longer bird."

"You retain knowledge of the mystical energy flow, how impressive."

"Of course it is, now can I have that food please I want be well fed when Xander and the others show up and kick your ass."

Antonio started at the woman and then dissolved into peals of laughter, he was still laughing when he left the temple.

Anya lay there for a few minutes before she got even more bored. She began to sing a song from one of the films Xander showed her, when he wanted to scare her. "Zippidee-do-da, Zippidee-ah my-oh-my what a wonderful day…"

***

The sun was just setting over the California mountains when Buffy dressed herself in her grubbiest workout clothing and ventured into the darkness of a converted workspace/dojo. The room was filled with mats and pummel horses that Giles had liberated from the wreckage of the high school a year previously. The material showed the wear and tear from frequent use. None was more beaten looking than a heavy bag hanging in a corner. It was to this, that the slayer tuned her attentions. She sought comfort from her thoughts that raced through her head. 

What was Antonio after that needed the blood of a vengeance demon and why was hell interested in the outcome?

Buffy began to practice the katas that had brought her through five long years of slaying vampires and fighting demons. The basic stretches and moves that would prepare her for the more intense physical side of the training.

Hell and been her constant companion these five long years. Five years of lying to Dawn and to Joyce her mother, presently visiting a long neglected aunt whom no doubt would be enjoying the chance to spoil the youngest Summers.

She began throwing punches at the heavy bag sending it rocking around in a circle. She could remember the times she had wondered, Is there really was a larger agency, a design behind the evil that stalked the streets of Sunnydale?

Could she really be doing hells dirty work by stopping Antonio? Did that mean that despite his methods Antonio was working the same side of the street as Sonja and herself? After all, wasn't Sonja just a little crazy? Her mind a constant tug of war between the human she had been, the vampire she was and the monster that she could become at the drop of a hat. What about Buffy herself, Part of an ancient Group of warriors whose noble purpose had been corrupted by power mad schemers. Could any of them be truly good people if their paths were so thorny and divergent?

Buffy took the work out up a notch landing blows in quick succession. The point of this was to keep the bag at a 45° angle without losing control of the heavy bag. That included the kicks she was now landing on the equipment. She felt a buzzing in the back of her head. Giles called it her combat sense. Part of the gifts she had as a slayer. It told her that a vampire was in the house. It was close. Without stopping her practice, she called out.

"Aren't you the early raiser"

"You didn't even know me twenty four hours ago how do you know when I get up"

Buffy unleashed a three stage kick that pushed the bag over the forty-five degree cut off she had assigned. Cursing she topped and gave herself a one hundred push up punishment. She saw Sonja standing in the doorway.

Sonja had shed her ubiquitous leather jacket and sunglasses. Her altered Romones tee shirt had the sleeves ripped off. Her arms were pale like the rest of her. Scars and bruises crisscrossed them; the latter now vaguely discolored having partially healed. She was standing in the doorway to the work area dressed loosely in a silk bathrobe Giles had dug out of storage for her.

"Anya had better hope Xander doesn't see you like that or it over."

"From what you remember it would take more that this to distract that boy."

"From what I remember?"

"You had a memory or two that was in a locked off part your mind. Something about him tying to get someone named Cordy to love him. Does your short jacket and wanting him to unwrap his present jog you mind."

"That was… interesting I think most of the respect that I have for Xander is wrapped up in how much he didn't take advantage of that situation."

"There aren't many guys in my life that I respect. Melfis is a demon, with all that that implies. Chaz, he was many things but I can't honestly say that I ever really trusted him. I have to say it disturbs me meeting guys like Giles and Xander. I'm used to thinking most guys are asses."

"Welcome to the Hellmouth, I've lost every notion of what my life could be or my duties or even of what good and evil is largely because my mom moved to this town."

"I wish I could still talk to mine." Sonja volunteered, she was not sure where that thought came from but it was the truth.

Buffy reached the end of the hundred push-ups. Feeling that she could do better; she hauled herself into a handstand. She then began doing another hundred. "I remember seeing a picture of the two of them they seem like a nice couple."

"As I recall they were very much in love and they loved Denise Very much."

"Do they know about …I mean have you ever let them know"

"My father knows I am alive, but my mother, for reasons too complex to explain, thinks I'm dead and that it how it's staying"

She crossed the floor of the workout space and proceeded to lean on the soles of Buffy's feet. Buffy started counting again this time fighting against the increased weight.

"How did he take the news…was he happy…sad?"

"He paid someone to try to kill me."

Buffy stopped in her surprise. Feeling her body start to list, she quickly converted the move to a backward handspring. Landing on the balls of her feet, she converted the landing into the patented stance that had gotten her onto the Sunnydale cheer squad, for all of five minutes. Sonja clapped and whistled.

"At least he showed an interest I can't remember the last time my dad called or wrote."

Sonja looked at Buffy. She knew Buffy actually could remember and it had been awhile. She watched as Buffy pulled a tarp off what had looked like a simple dummy. It was a Mr. Slam punch target doll.

"What the hell does this do?" Sonja asked.

"Giles ordered it then, Xander took it apart and reinforced it. It can stand a lot more punishment now."

She adjusted a front panel. The eyes shone red and a shrill beep came from the abused punching dummy. Buffy began hurling punched and kicks in a frenzied fashion. Sonja watched and marveled at the speed the girl could reach even in a practice fight. The punches were landing on all the targets, as were her kicks. The kid had a supreme amount of control. Any one of the blows on a person would have crippled or killed and in less then a minute she had landed over five dozen. The dummy finally surrendered with another shrill beep. Buffy's smiled and brought her racing breath under control looking around the room she realized she had neglected to bring a towel. Shrugging she flipped the bottom of her shirt up and rubbed the sweat that was cascading from her face. Sonja looked at the little ticker in the punching dummy. The number was high, very high.

"Can I take a crack at this?" The Blue Woman asked cautiously Buffy nodded and reset the punching dummy. It gave its beep hesitantly as though fearful of more punishment. Sonja wailed on the punch dummy delivering dozens of blow in a few seconds. The three-minute sequence ran its course followed by the shrill beep. Buffy checked Sonja's score it was the same as hers.

"Beginners luck." said Sonja dismissive.

"Nice try, but I'm enough of a good sport to admit your good…really good"

Sonja looked around the room and spied a pair of cushioned hand pads discarded in corner. She had seen them before. The trainer usually wore the pads over his hands and the trainee took shots at them. Buffy followed her glance.

"Who uses those?" Sonja asked as she walked over to pick up the plushy pads.

"Giles, he can only stand to go for about one round or so before his hands hurt too much."

Sonja shed the robe. Sonja dragged on the training pads and positioned herself in the middle of the floor.

Buffy took a stance in the middle of the floor opposite Sonja. Nice Robe should I be concerned has a nice ladies robe stashed at his house." 

"They're a loner from Giles. He seemed reluctant to expound on who wore it before me but they have good taste,"

"Well its not like I have anything to boast about." Buffy jaunted gracefully showing off her sweat sodden workout togs."

Setting her stances Sonja eyed her opponent "are you ready." Buffy nodded. "Then bring it "

The sparing continued. Sonja would dance around her and occasionally throw her arm out to bop Buffy on the head. Buffy would try to avoid this and dodge or deflect the oncoming blow. At one point Sonja connected with a solid easily avoidable left hook.

"You're not concentrating, focus"

"Meeting with Mel bothered me" the young girl dodged to the side and aimed a flurry of low at the left pad

"Don't you trust me yet?" Sonja suddenly stepped in close. Buffy dodged to the side and aimed a kick at the right pad.

"I trust you fine. It's the thought of fighting someone else battle for them" Sonja held out the pads and Buffy responded immediately with a series of body blows.

"It doesn't matter who you go after Buffy. At some point your going to be doing someone a huge favour by taking out some beast."

"I don't fight to do hell dirty work; I fight to protect the innocent."

"Then you going to have to accept that protecting lives sometimes you unintentionally advance some hellish agenda. It doesn't make you hellspawn it just means the universe is working the way it normally does."

With this, Sonja went for a leg grab Buffy reacted immediately. She used the vampire's hold on her leg as a pivot hurling her other leg high. It curled around Sonja's head sending the two of them tumbling to the floor in a giggling laughing pile of arms and legs.

That is how they were when Giles walked into the room.

He took one look at the pile "You two had an energetic workout, I trust?" he said as he removed and polished his already spotless glasses.

They collapsed in laughter. In Sonja's case rust colored tears squeezed out of her red eyes.

They slowed for a moment then looked an each other's disrobed and sweaty state. The look in Giles' face was a battleground of male lust, watcher-like disapproval, and parental concern. The two girls roared with renewed laughter, Buffy's sides starting to ache with the exertion.

"If you two are done, Spike has scouted the location for tonight's festivities. He reports that, and this is a direct quote." getting into a schoolmistresses knickers would be easier."

"Kind of hard then huh"

"I've known my share of schoolmistresses. We could well be home in time for Nightline." 

The two women stood and marveled at the button down man in front of them. He looked back at them with wicked gleam in his eye "For God's Sake I did have a life before I met you children." He headed out the door leaving the women to follow him in stunned silence.

***


	13. Into the Breech

***

The group gathered at a blasted at building site near the hulk of rock and twisted steel that had been the never lamented Sunnydale High. Spikes scouting mission had been a depressing success to say the least. Far from being an open door, access to the site was tightly controlled. Guards patrolled the perimeter and the once in evidence were nothing compared to the team that was patrolling in side the facility.

The plan was surprisingly low tech Sonja and Buffy would walk in the front way and the rest of the Scoobies with cover from Spike would going from behind through the sewers. The hope was that Antonio and his troops would be too busy with the slayers to deal with the threat coming in from the backdoor especially since it would only be making off with the sacrifice. A block away from the site the group separated into two teams.

"Remember no funny business, Buffy and I distract the crowd and engage Antonio when the altar is clear, you move in and get the girl."

"Giles I am counting on you and Willow to manage lover boy, you know how he gets."

"Hey I can hear you, you know." Xander exclaimed, a hurt sound in his voice. He tossed a bundle to Buffy.

"If I thought you'd pay any attention I would tattoo it on the inside of you eyelids, be careful. Saving Anya will do us no good if you go and get yourself killed." Buffy hugged him briefly.

"Don't worry me and Tara have it covered. At the first sign of dangerous Xander-heroics we paralyze him." Willow smiled indulgently at her friend.

"Spike"

"I remember, I go for Anya" he tossed his cigarette into a wet pile of leaves

"Xander and I will provide covering fire." Giles checked, for the umpteenth time, the crossbow he was holding.

"Willow and I help Spike, and if needs be, you and Sonja." Tara slid a little closer to Willow who gave her hand a squeeze.

"Stay clear of Tony otherwise, he'll pull out the big guns as soon as he realizes what's going on. You do not want to go head to head with a homicidal power-mad mage." Sonja produced her switchblade, which courtesy of Giles and his penchant for bladed weapons was sporting a wicked new edge.

"Power mad mage…it must be sweeps week." Xander muttered sarcastically as he shouldered the axe that he carried.

"Xander"

***

The cavern was alive with the sound of chanting. Even Anya, in her current state, could tell that there was power gathering in this place. Whatever was going to happen, it would happen soon. Antonio was looming over the alter gazing at the power object in his hands the Ashanti blade glowed a deep rosette that pulsed with the power of victims that ha be fed to the knife. Antonio was just contemplating how to torture someone so completely unimpressed by torture when one of the underlings ran up to him

"Sir, The Slayer has been sighted near the area and the Blue Woman is with her. "

The thug turned and slapped Anya hard. "This one must have lead them to us."

Antonio looked at Anya. Anya whose movements where sluggish due to being tied up most of the night on top of the slab. "…And the fact that there is a huge amount of mystical power hovering over this place. And vampires are running into and out of this building - that never occurred to you."

The vampire looked at Antonio and blinked. The mage than lashed his hand out, the blade in his hand sliced though the underling's throat.

"L Vermin, I tocchi nessuni la ragazza ma me." Antonio hissed he was walking away from the cloud of dust when he heard Anya murmuring.

"He wasn't that much of a vermin and why should you be allowed to touch me, Xander is the bunny slayer -"

"You understand Italian." He interrupted her, surprised.

"Certo, posso capire l'italiano." She dismissed. "It's not like the most difficult language to pick up. I lost count of how many times I heard - Oh la marca di Anyanka quella paga di bastardo ingannand- When I was a demon, you eventually pick up on the whole get the cheating bastard part of the equation."

Antonio looked at the woman in front of him and dreamed dreams that the little gypsy princess had never inspired. Not in the nights when their bodies had lain twisted together by passion, and certainly not during the hours during which he had drawn out her torture. Antonio contemplated the effort required to kill her pet human, and take this vixen himself. Could he break her? Tame her spirit? Of course, he could, but would he want to possess the empty, broken, husk that remain?

Explosions rocked the cavern and interrupted his thoughts. "Who would dare?" He wondered aloud for a moment, Than smiled. "Of course, how cliched, the heroes arrive at the last moment to rescue their kidnapped comrade."

The thugs and miscreants hired by Antonio to act as living shield in case of attack gathered at the front door that had until seconds ago been standing closed and locked.

As the smoke cleared, the thugs fell back to see two women standing in the remains of the door. Buffy turned to Sonja, apparently oblivious to the audience gathering at the door. "I told you one stick would do the trick."

Sonja frowned and held up a pipe bomb with the wick already lit. "Well what am supposed to do with this?"

Buffy shrugged and pointed at the group at the door. "Maybe they want it?"

Sonja threw the stick underhanded, it arced over the group of beings crowed around the door it landed behind them. On of the beings began the obligatory "What the fu--." The bomb exploded taking the crowd with it.

Sonja turned to Buffy "See I told you, the careful application of high explosives is a great negotiation tool."

Buff started forward "High explosives wrapped in nails you mean. "

***

Contrary to popular belief, not all sewers are smelly rat infested affairs. Some sewers smell nice and the nest running near the cavern had not been used to transport sewage for about a year. Which is why no one was paying attention to Xander's complaints about how tired he was of crawling through "smelly rat infested sewers" every time somebody wanted to take over the world.

The group rounded a bend in the huge pipe they were traveling though and caught sight of a large metal door. The door had a look that screamed "cool stuff just beyond."

"Is it just me or does this seem way too ea…" Xander's thought was interrupted by a crossbow being leveled in between his eyes and Giles hissing so quietly it was hard to hear.

"Complete that thought, Xander, and as the Good Lord is my witness your arse is a pincushion."

"I'm sure everything's just fine." Xander swallowed loudly Spike snickered and would have spoken except that Giles fixed him with a death head stare that he would have been impressed by even during the height of the big bad days.

"Actually I think Xander is right" Giles looked at Willow she was gazing down the hall.

There near the door, a figure was standing in the corner muttering to itself. Xander stepped from the safety of the shadows and stepped quietly down the hall. The figure looked familiar

"Xander get down you don't know what's going on." Willow hissed as she readied a petrify spell. She had been joking when she proposed the idea earlier, but it would appear that Xander needed a little impulse control.

Xander stopped half way down the hallway. Relax guys it's the weasel." Spike looked down the hallway his enhanced vision going into corners to see the seedy barkeep slouched in the corner. He had a slack jawed expression on hi face. Moreover, his lips were moving ceaselessly. His attention was unfocused; eyes wandering up and down the passage way often falling on Xander and flicking pas him as though he were unimportant. Xander started forward "Hey weasel how's it hanging dude who sprung you from Spike's." The barkeep straightened at the sound of his name and focused on the figure coming down the hall.

Spike saw a rush of heat come to the man's body, a big rush. Smoke puffed out of his nose. Spike was moving before the thought had formed completely in his undead mind. "Harris get your ass down." The others headed for similar positions. Spike landed like a cat on top of Xander sending the both of them to the concrete floor. The barkeep opened his mouth; gout of plasma belched forth and tore down the hall to land on the wall just beyond where Xander had been standing seconds ago. "He left a freaking Pyrotic guarding the door." Spike yelled from the floor where he and Xander cowered. The possessed barkeep started to walk toward the Scoobies, fiery footprints steaming behind him.

***


	14. He Kills Me Again & Again & Agian

***

The remaining vampires in the room tied to rally themselves to form a defense against the whirlwind of chaos and mayhem released in their midst. The two women where more then holding their own against the throng surrounding them.

"You seem to be short of companions." Antonio taunted from his place by the altar.

"We left the rest of the kids at home we figured this would be quick and easy." Buffy tossed over her shoulder as she snap kicked a vamp then staked him as he reeled from the blow.

He saw that Sonja was making short work of the fools who were trying to attack her. Anyone of them he might consider taking on separately, but together the both of them were like a force of nature. Heading to the altar he grabbed the blade and caressed Anya's hair. "My dear I apologize I can't give you the attention you deserve but, your friends arrival makes completing my work all the more important." 

He was preparing to use the knife when he felt Sonja grab him from behind. "No Magic today spell-boy." She sneered. She pulled her arm back to stab at him with her switchblade.

"Ms. Blue I have more mundane ways of dealing with the likes of you." He snapped his fingers. Sonja was relieved when she felt no drawing of magic against her. What she did feel was a freight train ramming into her. She flew across the room to land next to a far wall. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked up to see an ogre crossing the floor toward her.

"I had prepared a Pyrotic to deal with your new friends, But Kruger here; I got a hold of him just to deal with you."

Sonja bounded off the floor and began circling to get an opening against her new opponent. The ogre stood seven or eight feet tall and broad with rippling muscles. Its large simian features matched by the thick arms that ended in huge pan like hands.

"Buffy we have to get to your friends or they're fried - Literally." Sonja charged the ogre. Who reached for her, she slid around him and stabbed upward. She felt the blade of her knife skid across the surface of his think hide. The ogre grunted. He brutally bashed her across the shoulders and she fell to her knees. From her new perspective she looked into the face of her would be killer. Suddenly The Other inside her hissed angrily. She swept her arm backwards and forwards faster then the eye could fallow. She stabbed downwards. The knife in her grasp pierced through the thick hide and continued down into the meat of the ogre's foot. The hulking creature screamed.

"That's what a girl likes to hear." Sonja sneered as she backpedaled and tried to come up with a better attack plan.

Buffy made for the altar. The plan had changed she and Sonja would no longer have back up. She confronted Antonio.

"You've pulled your last rabbit, Anton." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Anya struggling against her bonds. Antonio smiled and held up the Ashanti dagger. "Normally I would be more concerned. If you weren't already too late."

He suddenly stabbed out at Anya's leg plunging the blade in up to the hilt and the pulling it back. "Death's hand has touched you my dear, shall we see if your body remembers her caress." Buffy moved to grab for the warlock when her lungs began to close. She felt like she was drowning. It was just as it had been five years ago when The Master had taken her life.

The mage stepped forward and brandished the brightly glowing blade in her face. "The power to create and control the perfect reality or to merge with it. Powerful magic's my dear and thy are now mine to command."

Buffy slipped to her knees as the water filled her lungs. "With the amount of times you have faced death I am sure there are several moments you have escaped fate. Let us see what happens when you aren't so fortunate."

***

Willow conjured a windstorm that held the barkeep at bay. It pushed him backward away from Xander and Spike. The two sprang form the ground, and ran back to join the rest of the group.

"Plan, we need a plan" Xander huffed as he looked down the Hall. "Buffy and Sonja are counting on us. Anya could be dead already."

"What is that thing?" Tara asked

"I've heard of pyrotics, but never seen a real one." Giles answered.

"A what" Xander asked 

"Pyrotics…" Spike muttered "Elemental and possessing spirits. You conjure one and stuff it inside the body of someone your not fond of, than you have a walking fire bomb, until the demon burns out the host… literally."

"Can we cast it out?" Willow asked concentrating on strengthening the hurricane she was unleashing.

"Sure, problem being once it's free it will hop to the closest warm body." Spike screamed as the thing fought to get at them through the gale force winds.

"I guess that keeps your ass safe" Xander muttered

"Let it go Xander, he did just save your life after all."

"Yeah don't let it get around it might spoil my reputation of not giving a damn about the lot of you"

"Gg-guys could me fff-focus on the crisis please." Tara was stammering; always a very bad sign when gauging the relative danger in a situation.

Giles peeked around the corner and the pyrotic; catching sight of him opened his mouth and flames belched forward into the wind that tore viciously at him. He seemed to realize that he would not reach his target this way. His cheeks began filling like a gross parody of a cartoon character. Once his cheeks had swelled to twice their normal size, he spewed a glowing stream of vomits; the mound of burning liquid flew down the hall. The ex-librarian showed the reflexes that had made his many schoolmasters whine about his refusal to apply himself to the football squad. He leapt to one side. All the same, some of the burning fluid caught a part of his shoe.

Giles cried out in pain and hurled the shoe from his foot that was already blistering and turning dark colours.

"It almost looks like a napalm burn " Xander had the cold taste of fear in his voice.

"Trust when I say that it feels like one to." Giles hissed.

Tara rolled up her sleeves and laid her hand on the wound. "Let me try to heal it."

"No time, that menace will keep us pinned down. Sonja and Buffy could be dying at Antonio's hands at this moment and we're trying to avoid being roasted alive."

"Anya" Xander said quietly. He turned his gaze fearfully up the hall toward the door that stood between him and his true love. Was she alive? How long would she stay that way?

Suddenly it jellied within him. Someone was going to have to save the Day and with Giles on the injured list, Willow doing everything she could to keep the thing from killing them all that person was going to have to be him. The last thought he had before he dived into the hall was "Harris you have lost your freaking mind."


	15. Blonde Bombshell

***

I was on the move with the limping ogre not far behind me. The monster was fast and strong obviously one of the warriors of the breed. No wonder Antonio was sure I would fall to this one. Two vampires rose in front of me and I dodged between them. Yelling "Stop Him, he'll kill us all." the ogre stopped only briefly to snap both their necks before continuing the pursuit. Ogres aren't good at telling friend from foe. I could see Buffy on her knees with Antonio doing some kind of magic on her.

__

Screw Puffy " The Other Sneered_ "we got worries of our own, if she can't hack a simple magic hurler, she's too soft for this work anyway_."

I wanted to tell her to shut up, but survival was an immediate concern. I realized that Kruger was herding me further away from Buffy and I remembered the crack Tony had made about the Pyrotic. If her friends were dying because I was playing patty cake with this jerk-off then I would never forgive myself.

Spinning I tried to attack him again. He took a solid kick to the groin and burped. He grabbed at me and I moved to stab him again. Too late, I realized that the grab was a feint. His huge fist squeezed shut on my hand hauling me high into the air. I felt the bones of my hand grinding together around my now useless knife. I thought about screaming.

"_Oh fuck this, let me handle this one_." I started to laugh. The sound like was the grinding of metal gears. My hand came up and punched at the ogre to get his attention.

"You think little girl punch will hurt Kruger" The thing grumbled harshly in a bass register.

"No ya big lard ass I just want a good look at those puny looking eyes of yours." The Other gave him the finger or at least I thought that was what she was doing until I saw the nail on the middle finger growing until it was ten inches long. She pulled our arm back and thrust forward with mechanical action. The nail shoved through the socket piercing the eyeball and securing itself in the meaty space beyond. Then with a savage jerk she yanked her fist free of the mess and blood and then plunged her newly minted finger nail / hat pin into the ogre's other eye. The creature screamed again this time high and prissy sounding.

"Just like a man get your hands on a real woman and you go to pieces in front of her." I sneered. I broke off the fingernail inside the skull of the thing. I dropped to the ground and backed away from the creature that was weaving around the room and screaming holding both his hands over his ruined eyes. I looked at my right hand covered in blood. Shrugging my shoulders, I licked the blood off. I believe in the old saying, waste not; want not.

"_Ugh_" I had to agree ogre blood while potent is not very tasty. In seconds my ruined left had and the finger nail on my right were back in shape. I looked around. Kruger was still searching blindly for me. On the other hand, maybe he was just blindly raging; I headed toward him to finish the job when the room exploded with heat and fire. Flaming death was coming my way.

***

Buffy was dying. Over an over again. Sometimes a vampire that got lucky would end her life. Sometimes, one of the major bad guys she had dealt with would kill her. Once or twice, she saw Angel taking her life and raising her into darkness. Nevertheless, each time Antonio would pull her back from the brink and run her through another death.

Antonio's laughter was the only constant through it all. His laugh gloated and mocked her. She hated mocking by anyone. She reached down into the primal darkness of her soul. There it was the dark place she had seen before when fighting Sonja in the landscape of the mind. She reached down into that place and something reached back, grabbed her and allowed cold dark energy to flow into her.

Antonio was immediately aware that something had changed. When the girl rose from the floor and started toward him.

"How? You should be crawling before me." He looked at her with real vision and saw pulsating vévé wreathing her face. They were in the shape of voudou tribal markings older then the eldest of magic.

She spoke not with the voice of the Californian teenager she was, but in the voice of the culmination of thousands of years of slayers that had passed before her.

"Your magic means nothing; you mean nothing. "

"I will kill you." The now panicked mage screamed backing up and away from the relentlessly stalking slayer.

"I am The Slayer, I am Death. You're nothing but a child pretending to power beyond your ken."

She reached toward the now terrified mage. Suddenly, the door at the back of the chamber blew off its hinges. It came hurtling into the room. Antonio reached out with his mind, grabbed the door, and hurled it at Buffy. She moved and twisted impossibly. The door sailed over top of her and headed toward Sonja who dropped to the floor even as her dance partner flailed over top of her. The door smashed into him. It picked him up and hurled him over against the far wall where door and ogre came to a fiery rest.

Sonja rose from the floor and looked to where The Slayer was pursuing Antonio. She looked to the back of the chamber where she could see the rest of the Scoobies.

She ran across the room and slid through he hole. Once there she witnessed a chilling sight.

Spike was hanging from the Pyrotic's grip. Xander was crouched on the floor covered in ash and mason dust. He had obviously been standing next to the door when the Pyrotic had blown it off the hinges. She went to pick him up, but he waved her away one handed. 

"I'm fine, get to Spike he's finished if that thing has a good grip…." Sonja nodded and ran toward the fire demon and the struggling vampire in his grip. Spike's coat was smoldering in its grip. Sonja kicked a discarded axe into her grasp and continued her march toward the pair. The pyrotic was pulling Spike closer as though for a kiss.

"Hey Flame-Boy, hands off." She whirled like a dervish; her axe sliced through the hand of the thing. A tiny pop of flame was the only reaction as the arm holding the vampire severed at the elbow and dropped him to the floor. Spike rolled clear. He snatched up a sword lying on the ground, crammed all three feet of it into the Pyrotic's stomach, and then dragged it viciously to the side.

"Both of you get out of the way." Willow screamed. Her eyes were completely dark; the vampires rolled out the way as she focused her magic on the Pyrotic for a moment. It stood there with its belly cut open; a worm-like creature was writhing inside as it tried to pull itself free of the carcass surrounding it. Willow whirled her head around and glanced at a wall. There was a rumble and the wall exploded. A jet of water streaked outward. The high-pressure fountain of water picked up the Pyrotic and carried it struggling and screeching back into chamber beyond.

***

It is unclear who was more shocked by the sight of a screaming waterlogged demon being thrown across the chamber. Buffy or Antonio, it was clear however that Antonio was the first to recover and thrust the knife out again. This time, fire ripped through Buffy's body.

"I have watched many die of Fever, Slayer, it is quaint that one so powerful could have been taken by something so simple, but it will suffice for ridding me of you." He moved toward the struggling girl and poised above her. He pulled his arm back for a final strike against the girl on the floor before him. Suddenly, a movement in the corner of his eye alerted him to danger. He reached out with his mind and grabbed the first thing it could find. There spinning in the air was Sonja's switchblade. "You didn't think that this feeble thing would stop me did you." He sneered.

"Nah, I was just trying to distract you for a few crucial seconds." Sonja supplied casually. He snapped his head around. Buffy's well-driven fist smashed into his brow. He spun around and ran right into Doctor Martin's patented heel. Sonja had vaulted the altar and sent her foot smacking into his face. The mage's head snapped backward. "Kind of hard to summon the old black magic when that head is ringing ain't it Tony." Sonja Sneered 

He tried to rally and found himself running into Buffy's fist again. Her soulless and possessed smile was as cold a thing as Sonja had ever seen. 

"Pretentious magic hurler with delusions of grandeur." She noted casually as she launched another blow right to Antonio's face.

The mage reeled further back, flailed at her with his knife and succeeded in slashing her arm.

She backed off and, looking around for a weapon, caught sight of the Pyrotic raising weakly from the floor where it had been deposited by the force of the gusher that had thrown it into the room. She shot a look at Antonio and Sonja answered her silent plea.

"Go, I'll keep him warm for you." Sonja called and watched the Slayer head for the weakened demon. She then turned back to Antonio and brandished her retrieved switchblade. "Alright, big-boy, time to dance."

They began to Fight, their knifes clashing together and bouncing off of each other in complete violation of all traditional knife fighting discipline. Giles would record in his Watcher Chronicles that it was like watching two people fence with very short swords.

Buffy headed to the creature getting slowly to its' feet and launched herself at it. Her kicks forced it back against a wall, where she pinned the freakish thing by jamming her foot into its throat.

"Somebody want to throw me an axe or sword." She screamed. The Pyrotic began to whimper as Spike tossed her his sword. She caught the sword and in one smooth seamless move cut the Pyrotic's head off. Then she dug the blade into the gapping belly wound and pulled out the worm that was inside, hurling it and the sword away. The headless, powerless corpse dropped finally to the ground.

The Fight between Sonja and Antonio had worked its way to the altar. Xander ducked under the duelers to reach his beloved. He pulled her from the altar with much screeching and whining.

Sonja kept up the fury of her attack knowing that the second she gave him an opening Antonio would unleash the fury of his mind and magic on her. Their blades clashed together and clashed hard back and forth as sparks flew from the contact and the two combatants began to sweat blood. Finally, Sonja caught Antonio's blade against her own. Their muscles tensioned and swelled.

Suddenly Sonja stepped to the side. As Antonio's weight carried him past her she snagged his arm and brought the razor sharp knife in her hand up through the arm of the mage. Antonio screamed high and loud as he held the stump that had until second ago been his hand. The hand and the blade inside of it sailed through the air and landed in the hands of the Slayer.

Buffy held the Ashanti high over her head. "Willow now!"

Willow gathered her strengths once more and focused all her might on the blade. It glowed brightly as she sent her mind into it and she saw the souls that had been bound to it. They were screaming, in pain, forced to power something that had killed them without ever understanding why.

She saw the connections to the blade and she shattered them with her force of will.

It is done!" she screamed and fainted on the spot

Sonja grabbed the mage. "Hey Anton looks like you dropped something let me help you pick it up" She turned him around and shoved him toward Buffy. Buffy raised the knife high again and shoved it inside his body. Then turning the hilt in her hands, she shoved the blade deeper inside his guts as the blade began to glow fiercely. The mage stepped back and began screaming and clawing at his body and flesh. His whole form seemed to swell with the force of its pain and torment.

Realizing at the last moment that this would be a bad one, Buffy screamed at the rest of the team to get down. She began to run from the altar. Even as she turned, Sonja ran into her full force, tackling her to the ground. A loud explosion ripped through the chamber. Magical energy roiled through the room bathing them all in unnatural light.

When they all rose from the floor there was no sign of either Antonio or the blade. There was gore as Xander quickly discovered that it covered both Anya and he head to foot.

"I hate gore, can't these guys ever die without sliming me." Sonja and Buffy rose from the floor with much coughing and choking on dust and crap.

"Just for future reference, a simple Buffy get down would have more then sufficed." Buffy said casually as she dusted her self off

"Who are you kidding you were loving that tackle." Sonja smiled as she slipped her sunglasses back into place.

Giles and Tara limped into the chamber. She gave a frightened cry when see saw Willow cradled by Spike's arms. He gave a quick shake of his head to show that everything was OK. They all surveyed the damaged chamber. Buffy moved to her Watcher's side and checked him over. "You look like hell."

"Feel like it too. I had hoped he might have left something behind?"

"No, he said something about screwing with reality, but I was in a lot of pain so I can't be sure."

Sonja looked at Giles "Don't look at me I was busy being chased by an ogre."

"Well we shall have to be on our guards for the next few days at least, rather a lot of power was unleashed today and that can't be good. And if what this Melfis told you was true, Hell taking an interest could well be a bad sign that our victory may be short lived."

"Well at lest we all made it out of this one safe and sound." Xander smiled and hugged Anya closer cradling her as she favored the leg that did not have a stab wound in it. "Speak for yourself, You don't have a stab wound in your leg." She exclaimed petulantly.

"Talking about that…." Giles turned on the teen "Xander what even possessed you to do that ridiculous and dangerous stunt in there. You could have gotten yourself killed."

Buffy looked sternly at her friend "Xander were you being dangerously heroic again."

Sonja was more to the point. "How did you convince the Pyrotic to blow open that back door, They aren't the most co-operative of beings."

The two girls started giggling uproariously which left Spike to answer them. "Let us just say that Moon rise came early to Sunnydale this evening."

Xander snarled at Spike, "One more word an I'll pry that chip from your skull with a dull ice pick."

Spike smirked rebelliously and sauntered out of the chamber with Xander in hot pursuit practically dragging the limping Anya behind him.

"Mooning an enemy, Not the most conventional approach still not with out precedent." 

Tara could spot a lecture a mile away but fed him the cue anyway. "Really Mr. Giles whatever do you mean." She helped him to his car as he expounded on Classic battle philosophy. 

Sonja tuned to Buffy bewildered. "Are they always like this?" The Slayer smiled "Sometimes they get really nasty"

***


	16. Epilogue

***

Nine months later, the smell of fresh flowers was in the air. A van moved through the darkness and slid slowly to a stop inside the main graveyard the driver nervously dismounted and looked around. He had lived in this town long enough to know that nights were rarely peaceful in Sunnydale. As the spring blooms created a potent, cocktail of odors the driver let his mind wonder as he pulled a huge package out of the back of the van.

"Summers, Where the hell are you." He muttered to himself as he looked around at the silent tombstones.

"Straight ahead next to the tree." the voice was British and came from high and behind. The driver whirled around and saw a blond in a trench coat smoking and squatting on the roof of his van. "I assume your looking for Buffy"

After the driver got his heartbeat back to normal, he responded fearfully. "Yeah umm Buffy Anne Summers." The blond leapt off the roof and landed softly on the ground next to him. Snatching the order form from the man, the blond scanned it in the half-light as though it were plain as day.

The man backed up until he felt a presence at his back. He turned, even as the blond called out without looking up. "Relax he's clean just a delivery man."

The man turned quickly to find another man …kid actually brandishing a crossbow standing just behind him. The weapon was almost, but not quite, pointed at him. "Who sent you?" the kid asked casually

I just do deliveries dude I'm no one special I'm just trying to make some extra scratch and I took over for the regular guys." The man was edging toward the van. The kid was looking at him, but he had his head cocked to the side, as though he was listening to something that he alone could hear.

The blond finished looking at the invoice. It's from Sonja, the company card that paid for the delivery is hers."

"Willis you want to check this out What is It?" the kid gestured to the package still in the man's arms.

A gust of wind came from nowhere and tore the package from the driver's hands it opened and the contents plopped to the ground. Inside where a dozen black long stem roses, their dark colour almost lost against the backdrop of the night.

The blond looked at the roses and whistled appreciatively "That is classy. Remind me to get on that woman's good side the next time we see her." The kid bent and gathered the roses. He tossed the crossbow to the blond who caught it easily as though this was a move they had rehearsed a million times.

The man started back to the van, than his training took over "Someone's got to sign for this."

The blond snatched a pen from somewhere and scribbled on the invoice before thrusting it back at the driver. "I expect you want a tip." The man was actually fine without the tip, but you didn't turn down the chance at money. He nodded quickly. The blond threw a companionable arm around the driver's shoulder and guided him back to the van. "All right, here's one…. There is no amount of money worth your life. I would never deliver anything after dark in this town, if I were you. You might wind up on the night shift permanently." 

He turned and disappeared in the same direction as the kid. The driver scrambled into the van than cursed as he saw the card sitting on the dashboard. He mentally cursed for a few moments and considered going to find the two strangers then the card just blew out the window. The driver looked up into the night sky and saw the card twisting and turning caught in the same gust of wind as before. It was heading for an area near where the two had vanished. The driver started the engine and gunned it up to full sped and peeled out of the yard like there was no tomorrow.

As he drove away, he remembered the words on the card. They gave him some small comfort as he smelled the scent of the roses that and been in the back mixing with the night air on this beautiful midnight in Sunnydale.

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Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as raven's claws

Jim Morrison

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Now that you know how to fly come back and see me sometime, my friend

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SB

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*The End * 


End file.
